ANALYSIS OF MALIGNANCY-ASSOCIATED DNA CHANGES IN INTERPHASE NUCLEI OF BUCCAL EPITHELIUM IN PERSONS WITH BREAST DISEASES

Boroday Natalya, Klyushin Dmitriy, Petunin Yuriy, Andrushkiw Roman

Aim: To study from the point of view of statistical and geometrical theory of pattern recognition, the peculiarities of the distribution of optical density of DNA in the interphase nuclei of mammary buccal epithelium upon pathology. Methods: Cytogenetic investigation of buccal smears and computer-based image analysis were used. Results: It is shown that in malignant neoplasms of the mammary glands compared with its values in benign, the optical density of DNA in the nuclei of buccal epithelium increase in a range from 0.15 to 0.30 conventional units. The sensitivity of that criterium varied from 80.5% to 96.8%, and specificity was 92.3%. Conclusion: The method proposed may be recommended as an additional one for improvement of the diagnosis of mammary pathologies.