Nuclear morphometry in canine acanthomatous ameloblastomas and squamous cell carcinomas

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether morphometrical analysis can be of diagnostic value for canine acanthomatous ameloblastoma. We calculated, by means of an automated image analyser, some morphometric nuclear parameters, in particular: mean nuclear area (MNA), mean nuclear perimeter (MNP), maximum and minimum diameters (MDx and MDm) coefficient of variation of the nuclear area (NACV), largest to smallest dimension ratio (LS ratio), and form factor (FF), in 8 canine acanthomatous ameloblastomas, and we compared these morphometric data to those of 13 squamous cell carcinomas of canine gingiva. The results indicated a progressive increase of the MNA, NACV, MNP and MDm proceeding from acanthomatous ameloblastomas (MNA: 42.11±8.74; NACV: 28,36±7,23; MNP: 24.18± 2.68; MDm: 5.69±0.49) to squamous cell carcinomas (MNA:49,69±9,10; NACV: 30,89±7,75; MNP: 25.63±2.54; MDm: 6.64±0.73). On the contrary, the LS ratio and the FF resulted greater in acanthomatous ameloblastomas (LS ratio: 1,63±0,12; FF: 1,13±0,002) than in SCCs (LS ratio: 1,40±0,12; FF:0.91±0.38). Moreover, the MNA, MNP,MDx and MDm resulted similar (MNA: p=0.89; MNP: p=0,65; MDm: p=0,16; MDx: p=0,13) in a subset of four acanthomatous ameloblastomas with cellular atypia (MNA:49,01±6,88; MNP: 26,28±1,99; MDm: 6.08±0.41; MDx: 10.18±0.88) and in squamous cell carcinomas (MNA:49.69±9,10; MNP: 25.63±2.54; MDm: 6.64±0.73; MDx: 9.26±1.05). While the NACV values resulted higher in typical acanthomatous ameloblastoma (29,99±6,06) than in atypical acanthomatous ameloblastoma (26,74±8,84) and similar to those of the SCCs (30,89±7,75). These results seem to confirm that acanthomatous ameloblastoma is a malignant or potentially malignant lesion and emphasizes that nuclear morphometry analysis can be an useful diagnostic and prognostic method in canine oral pathology.