Abstract: A method of measurement of mitotic activity from histopathological specimen images initially identifies image pixels with luminances corresponding to mitotic figures and selects from them a reference pixel to provide a reference colour. Pixels similar to the reference colour are located; image regions are grown on located pixels by adding pixels satisfying thresholds of differences to background and image region luminances. Grown regions are thresholded in area, compactness, width/height ratio, luminance ratio to background and difference between areas grown with perturbed thresholds. Grown regions are counted as indicating mitotic figures by thresholding region number, area and luminance. An alternative method of measuring mitotic activity measures a profile of an image region and counts the image region as corresponding to a mitotic figure if its profile is above a threshold at an intensity associated with mitotic figures.

Abstract: A method of scoring Oestrogen and Progesterone Receptors expression (ER and PR) from histological images determines the percentage of brown image blob area in total blob area and derives percentage thresholds to quantify scoring. Brown blob area proportion is then compared with the thresholds to provide a first contribution to scoring of ER or PR. The number of relatively dark pixels is then counted, pixel number thresholds are determined to quantify scoring, and the number of relatively dark pixels is compared with the thresholds to provide a second contribution scoring of ER or PR. The two contributions are then added to provide an overall scoring in the range 0 to 8 which may be taken as a final score or it may be scaled to a conventional range 0 to 3.

Abstract: A method of grading tubules in a first histological slide image derives a second image of objects in the first image of objects in the first image with boundary characteristics corresponding to tubules. It also derives a third image of second objects in the first image having pixel value characteristic of fat and holes within tubules. It combines data from the second and third images to identify holes within tubules and determines the relative areas of holes as proportions of their tubules to provide ratios, individual tubule ratios and an overall ration for all holes and tubules collectively. The number of tubules containing appreciably sized holes is counted. Tubules are graded by thresholding based on individual and overall tubule/hole area ratios, tubule/object proportion, tubule number and number of tubule with appreciably sized holes. Thresholds are derived from image gradation by an appropriate medical expert.