Fig. 1
Validation of automated T-cell density measurements on tissue microarray. a Representative H&E staining and lymphocyte immunostaining in prostate tumor on tissue microarray cores. Immunostaining for CD3, CD8, and FOXP3 identifies respective specific subsets of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in prostate tumor (top). Aperio image software identifies CD3+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and FOXP3+ T cells (red) in selected tumor regions and surrounding tumor and stromal nuclei (blue; bottom). b CD3+ T-cell density (cells/mm2) on standard histologic sections correlates significantly with CD3+ T-cell density (cells/mm2) on tissue microarray (TMA) spots, when assessed by automated digital quantification. (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r = 0.73, p < 0.00001). c Automated digitally scored T-cell densities (cells/mm2) correlate significantly with manual visually scored T-cell densities (cells/mm2) on tissue microarray spots, thus validating the methodology used in this study (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r = 0.93, p < 0.00001). d CD3+ T-cell density (cells/mm2) on tissue microarray spots correlates significantly with CD3+ T-cell density (cells/mm2) on deeper level of the same tissue microarray spot, when assessed by automated digital quantification (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r = 0.83, p < 0.00001). e CD8+ T-cell density (cells/mm2) on tissue microarray spot correlates significantly with CD8+ T-cell density (cells/mm2) on deeper level of the same tissue microarray spot, when assessed by automated digital quantification (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r = 0.79, p < 0.00001)
