Fractal dimension and lacunarity of tumor microscopic images as prognostic indicators of clinical outcome in early breast cancer

Abstract

Aim: Research in the field of breast cancer outcome prognosis has been focused on molecular biomarkers, while neglecting the discovery of novel tumor histology structural clues. We thus aimed to improve breast cancer prognosis by fractal analysis of tumor histomorphology. Patients & methods: This retrospective study included 92 breast cancer patients without systemic treatment. Results: Fractal dimension and lacunarity of the breast tumor microscopic histology possess prognostic value comparable to the major clinicopathological prognostic parameters. Conclusion: Fractal analysis was performed for the first time on routinely produced archived pan-tissue stained primary breast tumor sections, indicating its potential for clinical use as a simple and cost-effective prognostic indicator of distant metastasis risk to complement the molecular approaches for cancer risk prognosis. © 2015 Future Medicine Ltd.