Katrina has an abnormal result on a Papanicolaou test. After admitting that she read her chart while the nurse was out of the room, Katrina asks what dysplasia means. Which definition should the nurse provide?
A. Presence of completely undifferentiated tumor cells that don’t resemble cells of the tissues of their origin.
B. Increase in the number of normal cells in a normal arrangement in a tissue or an organ.
C. Replacement of one type of fully differentiated cell by another in tissues where the second type normally isn’t found.
D. Alteration in the size, shape, and organization of differentiated cells.
Correct Answer: D. Alteration in the size, shape, and organization of differentiated cells
Dysplasia refers to an alteration in the size, shape, and organization of differentiated cells.
Option A: The presence of completely undifferentiated tumor cells that don’t resemble cells of the tissues of their origin is called anaplasia.
Option B: An increase in the number of normal cells in a normal arrangement in a tissue or an organ is called hyperplasia.
Option C: Replacement of one type of fully differentiated cell by another in tissues where the second type normally isn’t found is called metaplasia.