Glossary
- Aflatoxins
- A group of chemicals that are produced by a mold. Aflatoxins sometimes contaminate certain foods.
- Anabolic Steroids
- Drugs that increase muscle mass, sometimes used illegally by athletes to improve performance.
- Asbestos
- Naturally occuring minerals used for insulation and flame retardation.
- Benign Tumor
- An unusual growth of cells that is not cancer. It cannot spread to other parts of the body.
- Bone Marrow
- The soft and spongy center of the bones where blood cells are made.
- Breast Self-Examination
- A procedure done by feeling for changes in the breast tissue and by looking at the breast for changes in the nipple or skin.
- Carcinogen
- Something that causes cancer, also known as a cancer-causing agent.
- Cirrhosis
- A progressive disease that causes the liver to scar and stop functioning correctly. It is often caused by long term alcoholic beverage use and/or long term damage to the liver due to infections or hepatitis.
- Cranial Nerves
- Twelve pairs of nerves that begin in the brain. Among the functions they control are hearing, smell, vision, taste and eye movement.
- Helicobacter pylori
- A bacteria that infects the stomach and small intestine. It can cause stomach ulcers.
- Hepatitis
- Inflammation of the liver, often caused by a virus but sometimes due to toxic agents.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy
- The use of hormone pills to replace estrogen and other hormones during and after menopause. These hormones may reduce menopausal symptoms and decrease the risk of osteoporosis (brittle bones).
- Incidence
- The number of newly diagnosed cases of a disease.
- Incidence Rate
- This is the number of new cases divided by the number of people who are at risk for developing the disease (the population).
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- A condition in which the large or small intestine becomes irritated and/or infected.
- Intestinal Polyp
- A growth in the large or small intestine.
- Latency
- The time between exposure to a cancer-causing agent and when a person develops cancer.
- Lower pharynx
- the part of the throat just above the larynx (voice box) and the esophagus.
- Lymph Nodes
- Small, round organs found throughout the lymph system. They contain special cells to attack infections and other things, including cancer cells. Lymph nodes are commonly called lymph glands. When an ill person has "swollen glands", these are swollen lymph nodes.
- Lymphatic System
- Part of the body's defense system. It is made up of the organs and tissues that make and store cells that fight infection.
- Malignant Tumor
- A cancerous tumor. It has the ability to spread to other parts of the body.
- Mammogram
- A special low-dose x-ray of the breast. It allows a doctor to see very small tumors that may not be able to be seen on a regular x-ray or felt by hand.
- Meninges
- Thin layers of tissue that surround and cover the brain.
- Metastasis
- When a cancer spreads to other parts of the body forming other tumors it is called metastasis.
- Mortality Rate
- Also called a death rate, this is the number of people who die from a disease divided by the number of people who are at risk for developing the disease (the population). Mortality is based on the underlying cause of death.
- Parotid gland
- the largest of the three main salivary glands; it is located below and in front of the ear.
- Pharynx
- also called the throat, it is the area from the back of the nasal cavity to the esophagus.
- Prevalence
- The total number of cases of a disease existing in a population.
- Radiation
- Radiation is energy that moves through space or matter at a very high speed. Ionizing Radiation is radiation that removes electrons from the atoms it meets, causing them to become electrically charged ions. X-rays are an example of ionizing radiation.
- Radioactive
- A substance that gives off radiation.
- Radon
- A radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the environment (soil or water).
- Reoccurrence
- Reoccurrence is when cancer returns after a patient is apparently cancer free (after remission). This can happen if some cancer cells remained in the body after treatment was complete.
- Risk Factor
- A risk factor is something that has been associated with an increased chance of getting a disease. It is not necessarily a direct cause of the disease. For cancer, risk factors include personal risks (family history of cancer, diet, and many others) as well as exposure to cancer causing agents (cigarette smoke, sunlight, x-rays, certain chemicals, etc.).
- Salivary glands
- the parts of the mouth that produce saliva.
- Screening
- A medical procedure or test for people who do not have symptoms of a disease. The procedure or test does not tell you if you have the disease, but will tell you if you need more tests or procedures to determine if you do.
- Socioeconomic status
- Broad based classification of a person or family's social or economic position based on income, occupation, wealth and education.
- Second-hand Smoke
- Smoke from other people's cigarettes or cigars. Second-hand smoke is also called environmental tobacco smoke.
- Urinary System
- The organs that produce urine and remove it from the body. The urinary system includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
