TY - JOUR A1 - Glahn, Imaine A1 - Haghofer, Andreas A1 - Donovan, Taryn A1 - Degasperi, Brigitte A1 - Bartel, Alexander A1 - Kreilmeier-Berger, Theresa A1 - Hyndman, Philip S. A1 - Janout, Hannah A1 - Assenmacher, Charles-Antoine A1 - Bartenschlager, Florian A1 - Bolfa, Pompei A1 - Dark, Michael A1 - Klang, Andrea A1 - Klopfleisch, Robert A1 - Merz, Sophie A1 - Richter, Barbara A1 - Schulman, F. Yvonne A1 - Ganz, Jonathan A1 - Scharinger, Josef A1 - Aubreville, Marc A1 - Winkler, Stephan M. A1 - Bertram, Christof T1 - Automated Nuclear Morphometry: A Deep Learning Approach for Prognostication in Canine Pulmonary Carcinoma to Enhance Reproducibility JF - Veterinary Sciences N2 - The integration of deep learning-based tools into diagnostic workflows is increasingly prevalent due to their efficiency and reproducibility in various settings. We investigated the utility of automated nuclear morphometry for assessing nuclear pleomorphism (NP), a criterion of malignancy in the current grading system in canine pulmonary carcinoma (cPC), and its prognostic implications. We developed a deep learning-based algorithm for evaluating NP (variation in size, i.e., anisokaryosis and/or shape) using a segmentation model. Its performance was evaluated on 46 cPC cases with comprehensive follow-up data regarding its accuracy in nuclear segmentation and its prognostic ability. Its assessment of NP was compared to manual morphometry and established prognostic tests (pathologists’ NP estimates (n = 11), mitotic count, histological grading, and TNM-stage). The standard deviation (SD) of the nuclear area, indicative of anisokaryosis, exhibited good discriminatory ability for tumor-specific survival, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.80 and a hazard ratio (HR) of 3.38. The algorithm achieved values comparable to manual morphometry. In contrast, the pathologists’ estimates of anisokaryosis resulted in HR values ranging from 0.86 to 34.8, with slight inter-observer reproducibility (k = 0.204). Other conventional tests had no significant prognostic value in our study cohort. Fully automated morphometry promises a time-efficient and reproducible assessment of NP with a high prognostic value. Further refinement of the algorithm, particularly to address undersegmentation, and application to a larger study population are required. UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11060278 Y1 - 2024 UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11060278 UR - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:573-48612 SN - 2306-7381 VL - 11 IS - 6 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER -