Epithelial dysplasia
Epithelial dysplasia is the sum of various disturbances of epithelial proliferation and differentiation as seen microscopically. Individual cellular features of dysplasia are called epithelial atypia. Some authors favor the term "intraepithelial neoplasia".
Morphological changes
The changes that occur in epithelial dysplasia include:
- Drop-shaped rete processes
- Basal cell hyperplasia
- Irregular epithelial stratification
- Nuclear hyperchromatism
- Increased nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio
- Increased normal and abnormal mitosis
- Enlarged nucleoli
- Individual cell keratinization
- Loss or reduction of cellular cohesion
- Cellular pleomorphism
- Loss of basal cell polarity
- Anisocytosis
- koilocytosis
Epithelial cell dysplasia is divided into three categories of severity: mild, moderate, and severe. Epithelial dysplasia becomes microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma once the tumor begins to invade nearby tissue.