Anaplasia - Characteristics Define Cancer

Anaplasia is a structural abnormality where cells resemble primitive or embryonic tissue in which adult functions are diminished or totally lost. For instance, malignant lymphocytes do not have the ability to fight infections. Advanced cancers display a varied cytological picture.

1) Cancer cells and embryonic tissue resemble in various aspects of function and structure. Therefore, it is often said that cancer cells are dedifferentiated that is they seem to have reverted to an earlier embryonic stage of development.

2) Cancer cells depict many abnormal mitoses in each cell. This phenomenon indicates that the mitotic processes generally so orderly in normal cells have been dramatically disrupted.

3) Cancer cells have a high nucleus to cytoplasm ratio. The nucleus may be large, frequently giant sized, more than one prominent nucleoli may be present.