PROBLEMATIC ISSUES IN THE EVALUATION OF MOLECULAR CHARACTERISTICS AND POTENTIAL NEOPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION OF CERVICAL METAPLASIA

Metaplasia represents the replacement of one differentiated cell type with another differentiated cell type, which is frequently seen in uterine cervix, particularly in endocervical epithelium. There are many different types of metaplasia in endocervix. It is suggested that metaplasia represents the fertile soil for the development of neoplasia. However, which cases of metaplasia transform into neoplasia, which type of metaplasia is more realted to neoplastic transformation or if there are some molecular markers which can predict the potential of neoplastic transformation, are nowadays less known. Current review represents the critical discussion of the available literature with regards to the evaluation of molecular markers and the potential of neoplastic transformation in cervical metaplasia.