Which term indicates disordered growth?

The term that indicates disordered growth is dysplasia. This term specifically refers to an abnormal development or growth of cells, tissues, or organs, characterized by changes in the size, shape, and organization of cells. Dysplasia is often viewed as a precancerous condition, where the cells have undergone changes that signal potential malignancy, though they are not cancerous yet. This disorganization can lead to an increased risk of progression to cancer if the dysplastic changes persist and worsen.

In contrast, metaplasia refers to the reversible replacement of one differentiated cell type with another, typically in response to chronic irritation or injury, rather than outright disordered growth. Anaplasia denotes a lack of differentiation in cells, indicating a more advanced stage of malignancy where the cells become less specialized and lose their structural organization, but it does not specifically describe the initial phase of disordered growth like dysplasia does. Prevalence is an epidemiological term that describes the proportion of individuals in a population having a particular disease at a given time, which is unrelated to the concepts of cellular growth or disorganization.