Cancer and Heart Physiology Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering cardiovascular concepts, measurement precision, tumour types, and cancer risk factors based on the lecture material.

Coronary heart disease

A condition resulting in fatty deposits blocking the coronary arteries, which reduces blood flow and oxygen to the heart tissue.

Stent

A device used to treat coronary heart disease by opening up the blockage in the artery so that more blood can flow to the heart tissue.

Pacemaker

The part of the heart that controls the heartbeat, which is found in the right atrium.

Precise

A quality describing a set of results with very little spread about the mean value.

$$27\,\text{mm}$$

A length measurement equivalent to $27\,000\,\mu\text{m}$.

Arteries vs. Veins

Arteries have a thicker wall, higher blood pressure, and transport blood away from the heart; veins have valves, a larger lumen, and transport blood to the heart.

Benign tumours

Non-cancerous, usually slow-growing tumours that are bound in a membrane and cannot spread to other parts of the body.

Malignant tumours

Cancerous, fast-growing, and usually more harmful tumours that are not contained in one area and can spread to other parts of the body to form secondary tumours.

Secondary tumours

Tumours formed when cancer cells from a malignant cancer spread to other parts of the body, making the cancer harder to fully remove during surgery.

Risk Factors for Cancer

Factors that increase the likelihood of developing cancer, including smoking, exposure to carcinogens (e.g. asbestos), exposure to radiation (e.g. UV light), being overweight or obese, genetic factors, and some viruses.