Title
Nuclear and Metabolic Quantification for Enhanced Ductal Carcinoma In Situ Risk Stratification
Files
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Presentation date
Summer 8-10-2022
College, Institute, or Department
Surgery
Faculty Mentor
Daphne Ly
Research Mentor
Heather Jensen-Smith
Abstract
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is currently considered an early and localized form of ductal breast cancer stemming from the epithelial ductal cells. These lesions are largely heterogenous, categorized by their morphologies, amount of necrosis, and stromal changes. Even though 10-year mortality rate for DCIS is 1-2.6% while that of early invasive breast cancer is 7-10%. Yet, current recommended treatment for DCIS is breast-conserving surgery and radiation or mastectomy – the same treatment regimen recommended for early invasive breast cancer. This assumes that all DCIS will progress to invasive breast cancer if left untreated. However, mounting evidence indicates that a significant number of DCIS would remain indolence and never progress to invasive cancer. Current risk stratification is based on grade and hormone receptor (estrogen and progesterone) status. While the underlying mechanisms for DCIS to invasive cancer progression are not well understood, an improvement in the quantification of cellular morphology, the extracellular matrix and the metabolism modification of the tumor microenvironment could provide a more accurate and objective prognostication and treatment recommendations. DCIS is currently graded manually by a surgical pathologist using a representative number of areas on the slide. This risks grading bias between different pathologists. By using an automated software to measure quantifiable attributes such as nuclear density, size, and degree of variation of all areas of DCIS on the slide, we can have a more uniform and objective scoring system that would have minimal bias and variation. In addition, we will quantify heterogeneity of collagen arrangement, collagen fiber profile in the stroma as well as the metabolic modifications in the tumor microenvironment of “low risk” vs “high risk” DCIS to determine factors that could provide us with a better prognostication system.
Keywords
DCIS
Recommended Citation
Lovick, Nicholas J.; Jensen Smith, Heather; Wagner, David G.; and Ly, Daphne, "Nuclear and Metabolic Quantification for Enhanced Ductal Carcinoma In Situ Risk Stratification" (2022). Posters: 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Program. 31.
https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/surp2022/31