Abstract
Under normal conditions the cervix is covered by three types of epithelium: original squamous, original columnar, and metaplastic. While both the squamous and columnar epithelia, despite hormone-dependent changes, maintain their typical basic structure throughout life, metaplasia of the squamocolumnar junction exhibits a great variety of structural patterns. The great majority of neoplastic disorders of the uterine cervix apparently arise from a primarily disturbed squamous metaplasia. On the other hand, mature (consolidated) squamous metaplasia, once established, may decrease the risk of malignant neoplasia in that area. The basic cell population of squamous metaplasia is composed of poorly differentiated subcolumnar reserve cells. The genesis of reserve cells is still a matter of controversy, although the theory that they originate from cervical glandular cells is widely accepted. Reserve cells are primitive cells of bivalent differentiation capacity. One vector of differentiation leads to the development of mucus-secreting gland cells, the other to stratified squamous epithelium. Mature squamous metaplasia is referred to as “epidermization,” “complete metaplasia,” or “consolidated metaplasia.”
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