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Difference between revisions of "Reactive changes"
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# | '''Reactive changes''' is a commonly used term in [[pathology]] that implies: | ||
# Inflammation. | |||
# Nuclear changes compatible with inflammation. | |||
# The absence of both neoplasia ''and'' the suspicion of neoplasia, i.e. it implies benignancy. | |||
'''Reactive inflammatory changes''' and '''inflammatory changes''' can be considered synonyms. | |||
==General== | |||
Nuclear changes are seen in: | |||
*Inflammatory processes. | |||
*Repair. | |||
*Neoplastic processes, i.e. pre-cancerous conditions (e.g. dysplasia) and [[cancer]]. | |||
Significance of nuclear changes in inflammation: | |||
*The line between a reactive process and a neoplastic process may be fuzzy, i.e. it may be very difficult to be certain whether something is benign or [[malignant]]. | |||
Consequence: | |||
*In the context of inflammation, nuclear changes are typically present and the threshold for calling ''suspicious for malignancy'' or ''[[malignancy]]'' is typically higher. | |||
==Microscopic== | |||
Features - generic: | |||
*Nuclear changes - typically: | |||
**Nuclear enlargement. | |||
**Nuclear hyperchromasia. | |||
**Prominent [[nucleoli]]. | |||
*Inflammation - any type (e.g. [[neutrophil|neutrophilic]], [[plasma cells|plasmacytic]], lymphoplasmacytic). | |||
*+/-Proliferation (e.g. mitotic figures) or changes suggestive of proliferation (e.g. hyperplasia). | |||
Notes: | |||
*Cytoplasmic changes may be present. | |||
DDx: | |||
*Normal. | |||
*[[Waffle diagnosis]] - nuclear changes of unknown significance. | |||
**Terminology dependent on the anatomical site, e.g. [[indefinite for dysplasia]], [[ASCUS]], [[ASAP]]. | |||
*[[Nuclear atypia]]. | |||
**This is often qualified as it may represent a neoplastic process or a benign process. | |||
**Common qualifiers: | |||
***Worrisome lesions: "... cannot exclude dysplasia", "... cannot exclude malignancy", "... suspicious for malignancy". | |||
***Suspected to be benign: "... favour benign". | |||
*[[Malignancy]]. | |||
==See also== | |||
*[[Reactive atypia]]. | |||
*[[Nuclear atypia]]. | |||
*[[NC ratio]]. | |||
*[[Reactive squamous epithelium of the uterine cervix]]. | |||
*[[Reactive astrocytes]]. | |||
[[Category:Stuff]] | |||