At high magnification, the normal colonic epithelium at the left contrasts with the atypical epithelium of the benign adenomatous polyp (tubular adenoma) at the right. Nuclei are darker and more irregularly sized and closer together in the adenomatous polyp than in the normal mucosa. However, the overall difference between them is not great, so this benign neoplasm mimics the normal tissue quite well and this neoplasm is, therefore, well-differentiated. However, this lesion could serve as a precursor for adenocarcinoma with further growth.

---