page_title: Colorectal adenoma
section_title: Sessile serrated adenoma
hierarchical_section_title: Colorectal adenoma / Sessile serrated adenoma
caption_attribution_description: English: Very high magnification micrograph of a sessile serrated adenoma, abbreviated SSA, from the cecum removed during a colonoscopy. H&amp;E stain. SSAs are characterized by: basal dilation of the crypts, basal crypt serration, crypts that run horizontal to the basement membrane (horizontal crypts), and crypt branching. Unlike traditional colonic adenomas (e.g. tubular adenoma, villous adenoma), they do not typically have nuclear changes (nuclear hyperchromatism, nuclear crowding, elliptical/cigar-shaped nuclei). SSAs are considered pre-malignant lesions, i.e. precursors to cancer, and tend to be found in the right colon. Related images Low mag. Intermed. mag. High mag. Very high mag. Low mag. Intermed. mag. High mag.
context_page_description: The colorectal adenoma is a benign glandular tumor of the colon and the rectum. It is a precursor lesion of the colorectal adenocarcinoma. They often manifest as colorectal polyps.
context_section_description: Sessile serrated adenomas are characterized by (1) basal dilation of the crypts, (2) basal crypt serration, (3) crypts that run horizontal to the basement membrane (horizontal crypts), and (4) crypt branching.  The most common of these features is basal dilation of the crypts.
caption: Micrograph of a sessile serrated adenoma. H&E stain
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