Table 1. Morphometric and textural parameters of encapsulated/well demarcated follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma with tumour capsular invasion, infiltrative follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma, and noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasms with papillary-like nuclear features.
| Parameter | Tumors | P | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIFTP (n = 15) |
IEFVPTC (n = 22) |
IFVPTC (n = 11) |
||
| Area (µm²)* | 57.38 ± 15.98 | 64.46 ± 18.95 | 53.61 ± 14.24 | 0.58 |
| Mean gray intensity*† | 92.37 ± 21.01b | 81.72 ± 21.3 | 72.99 ± 14.73a | 0.02 |
| STDEV*† | 47.77 ± 9.55b | 44.51 ± 8.22 | 39.39 ± 7.18a | 0.02 |
| Perimeter (µm)* | 30.86 ± 4.65 | 31.7 ± 4.95 | 29.57 ± 3.34 | 0.48 |
| Circularity** | 0.77 (0.69; 0.89) | 0.84 (0.74; 0,87) | 0.81 (0.71; 0.87) | 0.52 |
| Feret (µm)* | 10.81 ± 1.65 | 11.18 ± 1.58 | 10.56 ± 1.0 | 0.68 |
| Median gray intensity*† | 84.93 ± 21.17b | 73.05 ± 20.8 | 65.18 ± 17.08a | 0.02 |
| AR** | 1.37 (1.24; 1.43) | 1.31 (1.26; 1.36) | 1.33 (1.27; 1.59) | 0.73 |
| Roundness** | 0.73 (0.71; 0.81) | 0.76 (0.74; 0.8) | 0.76 (0.63; 0.79) | 0.76 |
| Solidity** | 0.9 (0.88; 0.95) | 0.93 (0.9; 0.95) | 0.92 (0.89; 0.94) | 0.37 |
| Fractal* | 2.46 ± 0.04 | 2.46 ± 0.03 | 2.44 ± 0.04 | 0.28 |
| Entropy* | 4.62 ± 0.62 | 4.76 ± 0.48 | 4.51 ± 0.89 | 0.67 |
| Perimeter/Area (µm−1)** | 0.5 (0.48; 0.68) | 0.49 (0.46; 0.55) | 0.56 (0.48; 0.66) | 0.18 |
| RA* | 99.49 ± 19.16a | 110.15 ± 21.07 | 115.66 ± 20.47b | 0.05 |
| Area/Feret (µm)** | 5.63 (4.29; 5.92) | 5.9 (4.91; 6.33) | 4.77 (4.58; 5.97) | 0.18 |
| Gray intensity/Area (units/µm−2)** | 0.14 (0.12; 0.18) | 0.12 (0.11; 0.15) | 0.12 (0.12; 0.15) | 0.15 |
| CV – Mean intensity** | 21.45 (19.53; 24.27) | 21.95 (20.31; 26.46) | 22.63 (20.47; 26.26) | 0.45 |
| CV-STDEV* | 19.96 ± 4.01a | 22.34 ± 4.08 | 24.75 ± 3.31b | 0.003 |
| CV – Median Intensity** | 26.86 (23.22; 30.76) | 26.63 (24.25; 36.01) | 28.13 (25.62; 33.75) | 0.46 |
Mean ± standard deviation.
Median (percentile 25; percentile 75).
Statistical test: ANOVA and Kruskal Wallis, complemented by the Multiple Comparisons test.
Expressed in a scale of 256 shades of grey, in which higher numbers mean lighter nuclei (0 = black; 255 = white).
Different letters mean statistical difference (bold indicates significant differences between a and b; p < 0.05). AR: Aspect Ratio; CV: coefficient of variation; IEFVPTC: encapsulated/well demarcated follicular variant of papillary carcinoma with tumour capsular invasion; IFVPTC: infiltrative follicular variant of papillary carcinoma; NIFTP: noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasms with papillary-like nuclear features; RA: roughness; STDEV: standard deviation of gray intensity; µm: micrometer.