Histopathology basics · USMLE Step 1

How does Dysplasia differ from metaplasia in histologic terms?

  1. Dysplasia refers to normal tissue remodeling, while metaplasia is pre-cancerous
  2. Dysplasia has disordered growth with atypia; metaplasia is benign, lacking atypia
  3. Metaplasia always progresses to cancer, whereas dysplasia never does
  4. Dysplasia is reversible when the stimulus is removed, metaplasia is not
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Correct answer: Dysplasia has disordered growth with atypia; metaplasia is benign, lacking atypia

Dysplasia describes abnormal, disordered cell growth with cytologic atypia (e.g., nuclear irregularity), indicating a pre-neoplastic change; metaplasia, by contrast, is a benign, organized replacement of one cell type by another, usually without atypia.

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