Environment and Cancer

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key vocabulary and definitions related to cancer and its environmental impacts.

Carcinogen

A substance, organism, or agent that can cause or increase the risk of cancer.

Carcinogenicity

The ability or tendency of a carcinogen to generate tumors, increase their malignancy or accelerate tumor occurrence.

Carcinogenesis

The process by which normal cells are transformed into cancer cells.

Cancer

A disease characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells that invade and destroy healthy tissue.

Tumor

A mass formed by the proliferation of cancerous cells.

Benign Tumor

A usually non-cancerous tumor that rarely causes serious problems unless it appears in a vital organ.

Malignant Tumor

A cancerous tumor that invades surrounding tissues and can metastasize.

Metastasis

The spread of cancer cells from the primary site to distant sites in the body.

Primary Tumor

The original tumor from which cancer cells spread.

Recurrence

The reappearance of a tumor after being treated.

Breast Cancer Stages

Classifications that provide understanding of prognosis and treatment options.

IARC

International Agency for Research on Cancer, which classifies the carcinogenicity of agents.

Group 1 Carcinogen

A substance with sufficient evidence for cancer in humans.

Group 2A Carcinogen

Probably carcinogenic to humans with limited evidence in humans and sufficient evidence in animals.

Group 2B Carcinogen

Possibly carcinogenic to humans based on limited evidence.

Group 3 Carcinogen

Not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity in humans.

Hazard

The potential of a substance to cause harm.

Causality

Establishing a relationship between environmental exposures and cancer risk.

Bradford Hill Criteria

A set of criteria established to help determine causation in epidemiology.

Strength of Association

How strongly linked exposure is tied to a disease outcome.

Consistency

The association is observed in various studies and populations.

Specificity

A specific exposure leads to a specific outcome with few alternative explanations.

Temporality

The exposure must occur before the health outcome.

Biological Gradient

The relationship where higher exposure leads to a higher risk of disease.

Plausibility

Whether there is a biological mechanism that explains the association.

Coherence

The interpretation should not conflict with existing knowledge.

Experiment

Assessing whether removal of exposure reduces health outcomes.

Analogy

Comparing to known causal relationships to infer causation.

Genetic Susceptibility

Individual risk levels based on genetic makeup.

Windows of Exposure

Critical periods when exposure to a carcinogen may lead to cancer.

Multi-exposures

Simultaneous exposure to various environmental risk factors.

Telomeres

Structures at the end of chromosomes that shorten with each cell division.

Telomerase

An enzyme produced by cancer cells that prevents telomere shortening.

Proliferation

The rapid increase in the number of cells.

Risk Ratio

A measure of the strength of association between exposure and outcome.

Chemotherapy

A type of cancer treatment using drugs to kill cancer cells.

Radiotherapy

A treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells.

Immunotherapy

A cancer treatment that utilizes the body's immune system to fight cancer.

Hormone Therapy

A treatment that adds, blocks, or removes hormones to slow or stop cancer cell growth.

Uterine Fibroids

Non-cancerous growths in the uterus that can affect women in their reproductive years.

Osteomas

Benign bone tumors that can occur in various parts of the body.

Melanoma

A type of skin cancer that develops from melanocytes.

Meningioma

A generally benign brain tumor that forms on the membranes covering the brain.

Lymph Nodes

Small structures that filter lymph and are part of the immune system.

Survival Rate

The percentage of people who survive a disease for a specific period.

Health Impact

The effect of a condition on an individual's overall health.

Carcinogenic Exposure

Contact with substances that can potentially cause cancer.

Occupational Exposures

Exposure to carcinogens as a result of one's occupation.

Public Health Policies

Policies aimed at protecting and improving the health of a community.