B7 Non-communicable diseases

benign tumours

growths of abnormal cells that are contained in one area, usually within a membrane, and do not invade other tissues

Cancer

the common name for a malignant tumour, formed as a result of changes in cells that lead to uncontrolled growth and division

Carcinogens

agents that cause cancer or significantly increase the risk of developing cancer

causal mechanism

something that explains how one factor influences another

Correlation

an apparent link or relationship between two factors

ionising radiation

has enough energy to cause ionisation in the materials it passes through, which in turn can make them biologically active and may result in mutation and cancer

malignant tumours

invade neighbouring tissues and spread to different parts of the body in the blood where they form secondary tumours. They are also known as cancers

Tumour

a mass of abnormally growing cells that forms when the cells do not respond to the normal mechanisms that control growth and when control of the cell cycle is lost