Resumo

DIAZ ROJAS, Pedro A  e  SANCHEZ MECA, Julio. The nuclear area as a diagnostic indicator in the ductal breast carcinoma: a meta-analytical study. Rev Cubana Invest Bioméd [online]. 2004, vol.23, n.3, pp. 150-155. ISSN 1561-3011.

The results of a meta-analysis directed to examine the efficiency of the nuclear area of the tumoral cells as a morphometric indicator capable of detecting the presence of malignancy in the breast neoplasia were presented. An exhaustive search of the literature was made through Medline from 1989 to 1998 by using the key words “nuclear area and ductal breast cancer”. 4 articles were selected that gave rise to 5 independent studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The benign or malignant character of the injury as well as the type of malignant injury were registered in every study. The result was defined as the median nuclear area obtained in the sample of patients. The statistical analyses included the calculation of the weighted mean, confidence intervals, homogeneity test and regression analysis. In all the analyses, the result of each study was weighted according to the inverse of the varianze of the median nuclear area. The median nuclear area obtained by the studies that analyzed the ductal carcinoma was higher than the registered in the studies with lobal carcinoma. Likewise, the studies on benign tumor and lobal carcinoma presented a very similar median nuclear area. The nuclear area reveals itself as an adequate morphometric index in the diagnosis of ductal carcinoma against lobal carcinoma and benign neoplasia. As a result, the use of this quantitative indicator may be recommended for the differential diagnosis

Palavras-chave : Meta-analysis; breast cancer; nuclear area; morphometry.

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