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Abstract Prostate cancer treatment planning is largely dependent upon examination of core-needle biopsies. The microscopic architecture of the prostate glands forms the basis for prognostic grading by pathologists. Interpretation of these convoluted three-dimensional (3D) glandular structures via visual inspection of a limited number of two-dimensional (2D) histology sections is often unreliable, which contributes to the under- and overtreatment of patients. To improve risk assessment and treatment decisions, we have developed a workflow for nondestructive 3D pathology and computational analysis of whole prostate biopsies labeled with a rapid and inexpensive fluorescent analogue of standard hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. This analysis is based on interpretable glandular features and is facilitated by the development of image translation–assisted segmentation in 3D (ITAS3D). ITAS3D is a generalizable deep learning–based strategy that enables tissue microstructures to be volumetrically segmented in an annotation-free and objective (biomarker-based) manner without requiring immunolabeling. As a preliminary demonstration of the translational value of a computational 3D versus a computational 2D pathology approach, we imaged 300 ex vivo biopsies extracted from 50 archived radical prostatectomy specimens, of which, 118 biopsies contained cancer. The 3D glandular features in cancer biopsies were superior to corresponding 2D features for risk stratification of patients with low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer based on their clinical biochemical recurrence outcomes. The results of this study support the use of computational 3D pathology for guiding the clinical management of prostate cancer. Significance:An end-to-end pipeline for deep learning–assisted computational 3D histology analysis of whole prostate biopsies shows that nondestructive 3D pathology has the potential to enable superior prognostic stratification of patients with prostate cancer.
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Curvature Estimates of Point Clouds as a Tool in Quantitative Prostate Cancer Classification
Although gland curvature features are an important element in current prostate cancer diagnostic tools, they are typically evaluated qualitatively rather than quantitatively. We propose a method of approximating the curvature of prostate gland cross sections by using the nuclei as data points. By investigating the relationship between features of a gland's estimated curvature and its severity of cancer, we show that our curvature estimates may be used as a tool to add a more objective element into the current diagnostic process.
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- PAR ID:
- 10065219
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Young Researcher's Forum (CG Week)
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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