anaplasia

9.9

A change in cells where they lose their normal shape and function and grow quickly, often in cancer

noun
/ˌænəˈpleɪziə/

Specialized

: anaplasia

The pathologist noted significant anaplasia in the biopsy, signaling a likely malignancy.

Examples

In cancer diagnosis, the presence of anaplasia indicates a more aggressive tumor behavior.
The five main grading parameters are (1) the proportions of cystic and solid elements, (2) the presence or absence of neural invasion, (3) the presence or absence of necrosis, (4) the mitotic rate, and (5) the presence or absence of cellular anaplasia.

Academic text (2002)
Researchers discovered that cellular anaplasia is associated with poor patient outcomes in certain cancers.

Antonyms

differentiation

Specialized

5 6.2

A process where cells change to have a special shape and job in the body

How Differentiated

benign tumor

Specialized

3 3.4

neoplastic cell

Specialized

1 7.4

anaplasia

Specialized

9.9

Surface Forms

anaplasia singular

anaplasias plural

Morphology

anaplasia = ana + plasia

The term is built from Greek medical combining forms ('ana-' + '-plasia') that are not productive or familiar to average learners, and the specialized meaning ('loss of cellular differentiation') is not predictable from the parts.

Etymology

The word anaplasia comes from the Greek parts ana- meaning 'back' or 'again' and -plasia meaning 'formation' or 'shape', the same idea in plastic which means 'able to be shaped'. So anaplasia describes cells that 'go back' to a simpler form and lose their normal structure, which is why doctors use it for cancer cells that grow faster and look abnormal.