{"entity":{"id":"dysplasia","kind":"term","name":"Dysplasia (pre-cancerous change)","aka":["dysplastic","high-grade dysplasia","low-grade dysplasia","atypical hyperplasia","atypia","intraepithelial neoplasia","CIN","premalignant","pre-malignant","precancerous","pre-cancerous","precursor lesion","precursor lesions"],"tldr":"Abnormal-looking cells in a surface lining that are not yet cancer but are on the way. Finding and removing dysplasia (cervical smears, Barrett's surveillance, colon polyps) is how screening prevents cancer rather than just detecting it early.","summary":"Dysplasia is graded low or high by how disordered the cells and architecture are; high-grade dysplasia is treated because a substantial fraction progresses to invasive cancer. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN 2-3) is excised or ablated; Barrett's with dysplasia is ablated by radiofrequency after endoscopic resection; adenomatous polyps are removed at colonoscopy; oral leukoplakia and anal intraepithelial neoplasia are watched or treated. Atypical hyperplasia of the breast raises risk and can justify preventive tamoxifen. Carcinoma in situ is the most severe form, in which the whole epithelium is malignant but has not invaded.","asOf":"2026-09-09","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysplasia","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysplasia"}],"tags":[],"related":["carcinoma-in-situ","barretts-esophagus","colonoscopy","hpv-status"],"cancers":["cervical","esophageal","colorectal"],"sections":["early-detection","prevention"],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"category":"Pathology"},"route":"/terms/dysplasia/","neighbours":{"term":[{"id":"actinic-keratosis","kind":"term","name":"Actinic keratosis (solar keratosis): sun damage, not cancer","route":"/terms/actinic-keratosis/"},{"id":"barretts-esophagus","kind":"term","name":"Barrett's oesophagus","route":"/terms/barretts-esophagus/"},{"id":"carcinoma-in-situ","kind":"term","name":"Carcinoma in situ (CIS)","route":"/terms/carcinoma-in-situ/"},{"id":"colonoscopy","kind":"term","name":"Colonoscopy","route":"/terms/colonoscopy/"},{"id":"high-grade-pin","kind":"term","name":"High-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN)","route":"/terms/high-grade-pin/"},{"id":"hpv-status","kind":"term","name":"HPV status (HPV-positive / HPV-negative)","route":"/terms/hpv-status/"},{"id":"intracholecystic-papillary-tubular-neoplasm","kind":"term","name":"Intracholecystic papillary-tubular neoplasm (ICPN)","route":"/terms/intracholecystic-papillary-tubular-neoplasm/"},{"id":"metaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma-sequence","kind":"term","name":"Metaplasia, dysplasia, carcinoma in situ: the flat route to gallbladder cancer","route":"/terms/metaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma-sequence/"},{"id":"colorectal-polyp-types","kind":"term","name":"Polyp types in the bowel","route":"/terms/colorectal-polyp-types/"},{"id":"smoldering-myeloma","kind":"term","name":"Smouldering myeloma / MGUS","route":"/terms/smoldering-myeloma/"},{"id":"tumour-differentiation","kind":"term","name":"Tumour differentiation (well / moderately / poorly differentiated)","route":"/terms/tumour-differentiation/"}],"cancer":[{"id":"gallbladder-carcinoma-in-situ-and-dysplasia","kind":"cancer","name":"Carcinoma in situ and dysplasia of the gallbladder","route":"/cancers/gallbladder-carcinoma-in-situ-and-dysplasia/"},{"id":"cervical","kind":"cancer","name":"Cervical cancer","route":"/cancers/cervical/"},{"id":"colorectal","kind":"cancer","name":"Colorectal cancer","route":"/cancers/colorectal/"},{"id":"gallbladder","kind":"cancer","name":"Gallbladder cancer","route":"/cancers/gallbladder/"},{"id":"esophageal","kind":"cancer","name":"Oesophageal cancer","route":"/cancers/esophageal/"}],"section":[{"id":"early-detection","kind":"section","name":"Early Detection & Screening","route":"/fronts/early-detection/"},{"id":"prevention","kind":"section","name":"Prevention & Risk","route":"/fronts/prevention/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-lin-gallbladder-neoplasia-carcinoma-evolution-nat-commun-2021","kind":"paper","name":"Genomic characterization of co-existing neoplasia and carcinoma lesions reveals distinct evolutionary paths of gallbladder cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-lin-gallbladder-neoplasia-carcinoma-evolution-nat-commun-2021/"},{"id":"paper-adsay-icpn-gallbladder-ajsp-2012","kind":"paper","name":"Intracholecystic papillary-tubular neoplasms (ICPN) of the gallbladder (neoplastic polyps, adenomas, and papillary neoplasms that are at least 1.0 cm): clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical analysis of 123 cases","route":"/key-papers/paper-adsay-icpn-gallbladder-ajsp-2012/"},{"id":"paper-roa-dysplasia-to-carcinoma-interval-gastroenterology-1996","kind":"paper","name":"Preneoplastic lesions and gallbladder cancer: an estimate of the period required for progression","route":"/key-papers/paper-roa-dysplasia-to-carcinoma-interval-gastroenterology-1996/"},{"id":"paper-roa-gallbladder-preneoplastic-lesions-jso-2006","kind":"paper","name":"Preneoplastic lesions in gallbladder cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-roa-gallbladder-preneoplastic-lesions-jso-2006/"}]}}