The count of mitotic figures (MFs) observed in hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained slides is an important prognostic marker, as it is a measure for tumor cell proliferation. However, the identification of MFs has a known low inter-rater agreement. In a computer-aided setting, deep learning algorithms can help to mitigate this, but they require large amounts of annotated data for training and validation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNumerous prognostic factors are currently assessed histologically and immunohistochemically in canine mast cell tumors (MCTs) to evaluate clinical behavior. In addition, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is often performed to detect internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations in exon 11 of the gene (-11-ITD) to predict the therapeutic response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. This project aimed at training deep learning models (DLMs) to identify MCTs with -11-ITD solely based on morphology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroscopic evaluation of hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides is still the diagnostic gold standard for a variety of diseases, including neoplasms. Nevertheless, intra- and interrater variability are well documented among pathologists. So far, computer assistance via automated image analysis has shown potential to support pathologists in improving accuracy and reproducibility of quantitative tasks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia
July 2023
Background: Canine mammary tumours (CMTs) are the most frequent tumours in intact female dogs and show strong similarities with human breast cancer. In contrast to the human disease there are no standardised diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers available to guide treatment. We recently identified a prognostic 18-gene RNA signature that could stratify human breast cancer patients into groups with significantly different risk of distant metastasis formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe success of immuno-oncology treatments promises long-term cancer remission for an increasing number of patients. The response to checkpoint inhibitor drugs has shown a correlation with the presence of immune cells in the tumor and tumor microenvironment. An in-depth understanding of the spatial localization of immune cells is therefore critical for understanding the tumor's immune landscape and predicting drug response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDue to morphological similarities, the differentiation of histologic sections of cutaneous tumors into individual subtypes can be challenging. Recently, deep learning-based approaches have proven their potential for supporting pathologists in this regard. However, many of these supervised algorithms require a large amount of annotated data for robust development.
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