Time-Lapse Cinematographic Observations of Normal Human Cervical Epithelium, Dysplasia, and Carcinoma In Situ2

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Abstract
Normal cervical epithelium when analyzed by phase-contrast, time-lapse cinematography has several constant behavioral features: The cells grow in a confluent monolayer with intimate cell-to-cell contacts; the only full cytoplasmic activity is found at the free edge of the monolayer and the cells are monomorphic; mitosis proceeds regularly with no detectable morphological variation between cells; and in vitro “differentiation” occurs consistently. In contrast, in cultures of cervical dysplasia and carcinoma in situ, the cells make only desultory contacts; they possess an independent migratory capacity, are variable morphologically, and have large numbers of abnormal mitoses. These features appear to vary in vitro, depending on the state of differentiation in vivo.