Nucleomorphometric analysis of feline basal cell carcinomas

Twenty-four feline spontaneous basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) were analyzed by computerized nuclear morphometry. The study included 15 non-recurrent and 9 recurrent tumours. In each case, the nuclei of at least 100 neoplastic cells were measured, and the mean nuclear area (MNA), mean nuclear perimeter (MNP) and mean nuclear diameter (MND) were calculated. The analysis of data of the non-recurrent BCCs and the recurrent tumours revealed statistically significant differences between those groups (p < 0.001) as well as between infiltrative and clear types of BCCs (p < 0.05). The results indicate that nuclear morphometry is able to predict recurrent tumour growth and helps to differentiate histological subtypes of BCCs in cats.