Epithelial dysplasia Epithelial dysplasia consists of an expansion of immature cells (such as cells of the
ectoderm), with a corresponding decrease in the number and location of mature cells. Dysplasia is often indicative of an early
neoplastic process. The term dysplasia is typically used when the cellular abnormality is restricted to the originating tissue, as in the case of an early,
in-situ neoplasm. Dysplasia, in which cell maturation and differentiation are delayed, can be contrasted with
metaplasia, in which cells of one mature,
differentiated type are replaced by cells of another mature, differentiated type.
Myelodysplastic syndrome Myelodysplastic syndromes (
MDS) are a group of
cancers in which immature
blood cells in the
bone marrow do not mature and therefore do not become healthy blood cells. Problems with blood cell formation result in some combination of
low red blood cells,
low platelets, and
low white blood cells. == Macroscopic scale ==