Age-adjusted rate | Some communities have a much larger proportion of older people than others. Since the risk of developing or dying from cancer is higher for older persons, a community with a large proportion of older people is likely to have more cancer cases and more cancer deaths than a community with a younger population. Age-adjustment is a way to compare cancer cases or deaths in communities with different age distributions. Age-adjusted rates are calculated by weighting the age-specific rates for a given year by the age distribution of a standard population. The weighted age-specific rates are then added to produce the adjusted rate for all ages combined. |
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Age-specific rate |
The rate among people of a particular age range in a given time period. Age-specific rates are calculated by dividing the number of people in an age group who have a particular condition by the number of people in that same age group overall. |
Benign |
Showing no signs of cancer. |
Biopsy |
The removal of cells, fluid, and/or tissue for microscopic examination. |
Chemotherapy |
The treatment of cancer with chemicals or drugs that are designed to stop cancer cells from growing. |
Distant |
The cancer has spread to parts of the body far away from the original point where it began. |
In situ |
The earliest stage of cancer, before the cancer has spread, when it is limited to a small number of cells and has not invaded the organ itself. |
Incidence |
The number of people who are newly diagnosed with a disease/condition/illness during a particular time period. |
Invasive |
A cancer that has spread beyond the layer of cells where it started into the tissue around it, and has the potential to spread to other parts of the body. |
Lifetime Risk |
The likelihood of developing a disease/condition/illness sometime in your life. |
Localized |
Cancer found only in the body part (organ) where it began; it hasn't spread to any other parts. |
Malignant |
Cancerous. |
Metastatic/Metastasis |
A cancer that has spread from the site where it started to other parts of the body, such as to the bone or the liver. |
Mortality |
The number of people who die of a disease/condition/illness during a particular time period. |
Origin or primary site |
The organ or part of the body where a cancer starts. |
Prevention |
A reduction in the chance of developing a disease. |
Regional |
The cancer has spread beyond the original point where it started to the nearest surrounding parts of the body (other tissues). |
Relative Survival Rate |
The percentage of people that have not died from a particular disease within a certain time period. |
Risk factor |
Anything that raises a person's chance of getting a disease. |
Screening |
Tests that are given to check for early signs of disease in people who have no symptoms. Screening can identify potential disease very early when treatment is most effective. |
Stage |
How far along a cancer has developed in a person's body. |
Survival Rate |
The percentage of people diagnosed with a disease who are still alive a certain time later. The figure most often given is for 5-year survival. |
Symptom |
An indication of a disease/condition/illness. |
Treatment |
Medicines or procedures that a health care provider can use to treat a disease. |
Tumor | A lump, mass, or swelling caused by the multiplication of cells. A tumor can be either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). |
Definitions to some of the most commonly used terms related to cancer.