Cancer Cells 101: Anaplasia vs. Dysplasia

Both anaplasia and dysplasia are forms of cancer cells, but they’re different in many ways. To understand what these differences mean for your body and how they might affect your treatment options, you need to understand the basic definition of each term.

What is Anaplasia?

Anaplasia is a form of abnormal cell growth. It is a type of cancer that can occur in any organ or tissue, including the skin or mucous membranes.

Anaplasia has the potential to be fatal if left untreated but can be treated before it becomes fatal if caught early enough by your doctor.

What is Dysplasia?

Dysplasia is a precancerous condition that results in abnormal cell growth. It can be diagnosed by a doctor performing a biopsy on your tissue, or it may be detected during an examination of your cervix using colposcopy or cervical cytology (Pap smear).

Dysplasia generally indicates that there are abnormal cells present in the cervix, but not all cases lead to cervical cancer; however, it can increase your risk of developing this disease later on if left untreated or undiagnosed. If you are diagnosed with dysplasia at any stage during your life span–even if you’re young–you need treatment right away because it increases your risk of developing other forms of cancer later down the road.

What is the Difference Between Anaplasia and Dysplasia?

Anaplasia is a more aggressive form of cancer. It’s what happens when a cell loses its ability to control growth and instead grows uncontrollably, resulting in the formation of tumors. Anaplastic cells are also more likely than normal cells to spread (metastasize) throughout the body.

Dysplasia is less aggressive than anaplasia; it is characterized by an abnormal proliferation or arrangement of cells within an organ or tissue, but not enough to form a tumor or cause death. Dysplastic cells may be found in any part of your body, including your digestive tract, lungs and skin (the three main organs targeted by most cancers).

Anaplasia and dysplasia are both precancerous conditions, but they’re not the same thing.

Anaplasia is a more aggressive form of cancer that can lead to a higher risk of metastasis (the spread of cancer cells from one part of the body to another). Dysplasia is less aggressive than anaplasia and does not always lead to metastasis.

Both conditions are treated with surgery or radiation therapy if they’re diagnosed early enough, so if you have any symptoms like pain or swelling in your mouth or face please see your dentist right away!

Anaplasia and dysplasia are two types of abnormal cell growth that can occur in cancerous tumors. They are both considered malignant because they can lead to cancerous tumors, but the main difference between these two processes is their rate of progression. Dysplasia refers to the slow growth rate of abnormal cells, while anaplasia means that abnormal cells are developing quickly and aggressively–meaning that they have a higher chance of spreading throughout your body before being detected by doctors (or even patients themselves).