Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Español
Government Funding Lapse
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.

The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.

Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at opm.gov.

low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion

(... SKWAY-mus IN-truh-eh-pih-THEE-lee-ul LEE-zhun)
An area of abnormal cells that forms on the surface of certain organs, such as the cervix, vagina, vulva, anus, and esophagus. Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions look slightly abnormal when looked at under a microscope. They are usually caused by infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) and are found when a Pap test or biopsy is done. Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions usually go away on their own without treatment, but sometimes they can become cancer and spread into nearby tissue. Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion is sometimes called mild dysplasia. Also called LSIL.
More Information
Cervical changes; drawing shows a cross-section of the uterus, cervix, and vagina. Also shown are four panels showing cell changes inside the cervix. The first panel shows normal cells. The second and third panels show abnormal cells called LSIL and HSIL. The fourth panel shows cervical cancer cells. Arrows are used between the panels to show that normal cells may become LSIL or HSIL, which may or may not become cancer.Enlarge this image in new window
Cervical changes. The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus that forms a canal between the uterus and vagina. Before cancer cells form in tissues of the cervix, the cells of the cervix go through abnormal changes called dysplasia. There are different types of dysplasia. Mild dysplasia, called low-grade intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) is one type. Moderate or severe dysplasia, called high-grade intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) is another type of dysplasia. LSIL and HSIL may or may not become cancer.
Search NCI's Dictionary of Cancer Terms