Relationship between tumor grade and geometrical complexity in prostate cancer

Abstract Prostate cancer exhibits high mathematical complexity due to the disruption of tissue architecture. An important part of the diagnostic of prostate tumor samples is the histological evaluation of cellular and glandular organization. The Gleason grade and score, a commonly used prognostic indicator of patient outcome, is based on the match of glandular architectural patterns with standard patterns. Unfortunately, the subjective nature of visual grading leads to variations in scoring by different pathologists. We proposed the fractal dimension of the lumen and the Lempel-Zip complexity of the histopathological patterns as useful descriptors aiding pathologist to standardize histological classification and thus prognosis and therapy planning. Highlights geometrical complexity of prostate cancer