metaplasia

American  

[met-uh-pley-zhuh, -zhee-uh] / ˌmɛt əˈpleɪ ʒə, -ʒi ə /

noun

Pathology.

1. the transformation of one type of tissue into another.

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metaplasia British  

/ ˌmɛtəˈpleɪzɪə /

noun

1. the transformation of one kind of tissue into a different kind

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Other Word Forms

• metaplastic adjective

Etymology

Origin of metaplasia

First recorded in 1885–90; meta- + -plasia

Example Sentences

“I’m not that smart. I have squamous metaplasia in my ileum.”

From New York Times

Although this is not usually considered as a form of metaplasia, it is associated with an increase in the risk of liver cancer9.

From Nature

Could the switch between HCC and ICC in mice be similar to the process that occurs in liver metaplasia in humans?

From Nature

In this scenario, an increased risk of cancer is associated with a process called metaplasia, in which one type of differentiated cell reversibly switches to a different type of differentiated cell.

From Nature

How a predisposition to malignancy arises because of metaplasia is unknown.

From Nature