ETX 135: Health Risk Assessment of Toxicants - Dose-Response (Cancer)

This set of flashcards covers essential vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on health risk assessment of toxicants, specifically focusing on cancer dose-response assessments.

Dose-Response Assessment

A method used to determine the relationship between the dose of a toxicant and the magnitude of the response it produces.

Carcinogen

An agent that causes the appearance of neoplasms or tumors, characterized by uncontrolled and inappropriate cell growth.

IARC Classification Groups

A system established by the International Agency for Research on Cancer to categorize substances based on their carcinogenicity to humans.

NOAEL

No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level, the highest dose at which there are no statistically significant increases in harmful effects when compared to control groups.

LOAEL

Lowest-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level, the lowest dose at which there are statistically significant increases in harmful effects compared to control groups.

Benchmark Dose (BMD)

The dose or concentration that produces a predetermined change in the response rate of an adverse effect.

Somatic Mutations

Genetic alterations that occur in non-germline cells, which can lead to cancer development.

Epigenetic Changes

Heritable changes in gene expression that do not involve alterations to the underlying DNA sequence.

Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis

Biological pathways through which carcinogens lead to cancer development and progression.

Potency Factor

A value representing the likelihood of increased cancer risk from exposure to a carcinogen, typically expressed as risk per unit dose.

Regulatory Entities

Organizations that assess and manage risks associated with exposure to toxic substances.

Cancer Potency Calculation

A method used to estimate the cancer risk associated with exposure to a carcinogenic substance by calculating the slope of the dose-response curve.

Epidemiological Studies

Research studies that examine the relationship between health outcomes and exposures within populations.

Linearized Multistage Model

A mathematical model used for estimating cancer risk by describing the relationship between dose and response.

Multistage Cancer Model

A model used for cancer risk assessment that describes cancer progression as a multi-step process involving several mutations.

Confounding Variables

Factors that may affect the outcome of a study by obscuring the true relationship between variables.

Clonal Tumor Cells

Tumor cells that arise from a single progenitor cell, thus sharing identical genetic mutations.

Dose Metrics

Measurements that quantify the amount of a toxicant that interacts with the organism.

Interspecies Extrapolation

The process of estimating the effects of a substance across different species, typically from animal data to humans.

Adjustment Factors

Values used to account for differences in sensitivity or exposure duration, particularly in vulnerable populations.