All of the following are characteristics of malignant tumours, except:

Features of malignant neoplasms: Lack of differentiation (anaplasia) Frequent mitosis Cellular and nuclear pleomorphism Loss of polarity Ischemic necrosis Local invasion Metastasis Metaplasia is defined as the replacement of one type of cell with another type. Metaplasia is nearly always found in association with tissue damage, repair, and regeneration. Metaplastic epithelium is prone to malignant transformation, but metaplasia per se is not a feature of malignancy.