metaplastic
- adjective
- /ˌmɛtəˈplæstɪk/
- Specialized
:
metaplásico
- In some cases, metaplastic changes in the cells can indicate the presence of cancer.
Examples
-
Within the salivary glands, the appearance of these cells in focal metaplastic, hyperplastic, or neoplastic oncocytic processes is usually related to increasing age.
Academic text (2008) -
Our review of the literature revealed a lack of consensus regarding terminology, as this entity is variously referred to as spindle-cell carcinoma, sarcomatoid carcinoma, metaplastic carcinoma, and pseudosarcoma.
Academic text (2005) -
The doctor explained that the patient's tissue had become metaplastic due to prolonged inflammation.
-
The pathologist noted that the lung tissue displayed metaplastic characteristics after exposure to toxins.
Compounds
- Archaic
A type of anemia where different blood cells change and do not work well
How Abnormal
- Specialized
1
9.4
- Specialized
1
9.9
- Specialized
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
metaplastic = metaplasia (opaque) = metaplasia + ic
Although morphologically derived from a medical noun ('metaplasia') plus the adjectival suffix '-ic', the components have specialized medical senses that are not obvious to general learners.
Etymology
The word metaplastic comes from the Greek parts meta- meaning 'change' and plastic meaning 'molded' or 'formable', like the common word plastic which you can shape. So metaplastic describes tissue that has 'changed form', which is why doctors use it for tissue that has become a different, often abnormal, type.