Automatic discrimination of neoplastic epithelium and stromal response in breast carcinoma

In breast carcinoma, epithelial-stromal interactions play a pivotal role in tumor formation and progression, and it must be accurately assessed for a correct extraction of predictive and prognostic biomarkers. Evaluation of preoperative (baseline) neoplasia/stroma ratio and the enumeration of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) represent only two conditions in which precise discrimination of cancer epithelium and stromal reaction are relevant. However, subjectivity and expertise of the operators may lead to different degrees of assessment.