Squamous intraepithelial lesion
A general term for the abnormal growth of squamous cells on the surface of the cervix. The changes in the cells are described as low grade or high grade, depending on how much of the cervix is affected and how abnormal the cells are. Also called SIL.
Read Also:
- Squamous cells
Flat cells that look like fish scales. The word “squamous” came from the Latin squama meaning “the scale of a fish or serpent.” We have a lot of squamous cells. They make up most of the cells in the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis), the passages of the respiratory and digestive tracts, and […]
-
The upper or outer layer of the two main layers of cells that make up the skin. The epidermis is mostly made up of flat, scale-like cells called squamous cells. Under the squamous cells are round cells called basal cells. The deepest part of the epidermis also contains melanocytes. These cells produce melanin, which gives […]
- Squamous cell carcinoma in situ
An early stage of skin cancer that develops from squamous cells (the flat, scale-like cells in the outer layer of the skin). The hallmark is a persistent, progressive, slightly raised, red, scaly, or crusted plaque that may occur anywhere on the skin surface or on mucosal surfaces, such as in the mouth. Under a microscope, […]
- Squamous cell carcinoma
Cancer that begins in squamous cells — thin, flat cells that look under the microscope like fish scales. Squamous cells are found in the tissue that forms the surface of the skin, the lining of hollow organs of the body, and the passages of the respiratory and digestive tracts. Squamous cell carcinomas may arise in […]
- Stop codon
A set of three adjacent bases in the DNA or their complementary bases in messenger RNA that specifies the end of a polypeptide chain. The three stop codons (in messenger RNA) are UAA, UAG, and UGA. They are also called termination codons or nonsense codons. U = uracil; A = adenine; G = guanine.