| Squamous Metaplasia of Cervix
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Etiology
• Associated with irritation, inflammation, low vaginal pH
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Pathogenesis
• Appropriate stimulus triggers squamous rather than glandular differentation from the basal cells.,
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Epidemiology
• Normal finding in the reproductive age woman
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General Gross Description
• Tan gray surface similar to mature squamous epithelium.
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General Microscopic Description
• Seen in the transformation zone bound by a proximal margin of current squamocolumnar junction and
distal margin of the original squamocolumnar junction
• Epithelium in between derived from squamous metaplasia.
• Mature metaplastic epithelium is indistinguishable from non-metaplastic stratified squamous epithelium, a look at the
submucosa will show underlying endocervical clefts.
• Begins as a proliferation of the subcolumnar reserve cells
• The nuclei are large with prominent nucleoli and basal mitoses.
• Initially little maturation of the squamous epithelium is seen but this changes
over time into the typical stratified non-keratinizing pattern as the cytoplasm in these cells develops.
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Clinical Correlation
• Not applicable.
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References
• Cotran RS, Kumar V, Robbins SL: Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease. 5th ed. Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders, 1994, pp. 1034-5
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| Squamous Metaplasia of Cervix
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| Synopsis by: Melinda Sanders M.D. (T83000M73220)[269]
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