CD44 and dysplasia: Following the WHO grading system, it was found that ALDH1 + cells were statistically significantly associated with mild dysplasia (p<0.0001) and positively linked to a low risk of malignant transformation (p<0.0001), while CD44 + cells were statistically significantly associated with moderated dysplasia (p<0.0001), but not linked to a risk of malignant transformation (p>0.05).