Diagnostic and Prognostic DNA-Caryometry for Cancer Diagnostics

Alfred Böcking, David Friedrich, Branko Palcic, Dietrich Meyer-Ebrecht and Jin Chen

Diagnostic and prognostic DNA-caryometry represents an automated computerized microscopical procedure, designed to improve cancer diagnostics at three different aspects:

1. Screening for cancer cells, e.g. in body cavity effusions, urines or mucosal smears

2. Specifying the risk of dysplasias or borderline lesions to progress to manifest cancer, e.g. of oral, bronchial or cervical mucosa, or the ovary

3. Grading the malignancy of certain tumors, like prostate cancer.

Pathogenesis of Tumors

The task of pathology as a medical discipline is, to establish the definite diagnosis of diseases, based on the microscopical appearance of cells and tissues, including adjuvant methods.

  • Mutation-hypothesis – claims that a couple of mutations of oncogenes and/or suppressor genes are responsible for malignant cell transformation

  • Aneuploidy-hypothesis – claims that gains and/or losses of whole chromosomes or their segments cause cancer

  • Most tumors are monoclonal – That means that they originate from a single cell, which continues to divide without restriction.

Staging, progression and regression

  • Tumour Staging – Tumours grow in size and spread regularly. The denomination of tumour spread is called staging

  • Tumour progression – Most malignant tumours change their cellular characteristics over time. This is called tumour progression.

  • Tumour-regression – Therapy induced or spontaneous death (necrosis or apoptosis) of tumour cells.

Microscopical Diagnostics

All malignant and benign tumours are identified, typed and graded microscopically by pathologists before any therapy can be scheduled.

  • Identification of lesions as neoplastic

  • Decision on benignancy or malignancy of tumours

  • Histogenetic typing of tumours

  • Grading malignancy of tumours

  • Staging of tumours (spread)

  • Monitoring of tumour therapy

DNA-cytometry contributes to decision making of these aspects

Indications of diagnostic DNA-Caryometry

  • Diagnosis of malignant tumours

  • Grading of tumour malignancy

  • Monitoring of tumour therapy

ODS Cytometric Diagnostics

The future of AI-assisted, low-impact cancer diagnostics starts here