Question:

Anaplasia is defined as?

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Anaplastic cells are primitive and lose their tissue-specific features.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
  • Changing one type of epithelium to another
  • Nuclear chromatin
  • Lack of differentiation
  • Morphological changes
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Anaplasia literally means lack of differentiation in neoplastic cells. Step 2: Well-differentiated tumors closely resemble their tissue of origin, whereas poorly differentiated or undifferentiated (anaplastic) tumor cells appear primitive and lose specialization along any particular cell line. Anaplasia is a hallmark of malignancy. Step 3: The distractor "changing one type of epithelium to another" describes metaplasia, a separate adaptive process, not anaplasia. Step 4: "Nuclear chromatin" and "morphological changes" are vague features that can accompany anaplasia but do not define it. The precise definition is lack of differentiation, so option c is correct.
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