Terminology
The following are common terms that are used throughout this plan.
Age-adjustment: Facilitates comparison of rates between two or more populations that have different age distributions (the percent of individuals in each age group). Age-adjustment may be accomplished by the direct method (by applying rates from the study population to a defined standard population), or the indirect method (by applying standard rates to the study population distribution).
Cancer: A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissue and
can spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body.
Cancer Screening: Checking for changes in tissue, cells, or fluids that may indicate the possibility of cancer when there are no symptoms.
Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the epithelial tissue that lines or covers an organ. Clinical Trials: Research studies that
evaluate the effectiveness of new treatment or disease prevention methods on patients.
Colonoscopy: An examination of the rectum and entire colon using a lighted instrument called a colonoscope. A colonoscope allows the physician to remove polyps or other abnormal tissue for examination under a microscope.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM): Also referred to as integrative medicine, CAM includes a broad range of healing philosophies, approaches, and therapies. A therapy is generally called complementary when it is used in addition to conventional treatments; it is often called alternative when it is used instead of conventional treatment (conventional treatments are those that are widely accepted and practiced by the mainstream medical community.) Depending on how they are used, some therapies can be considered either complementary or alternative.
Digital Rectal Exam (DRE): A test in which the health care provider inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum to feel for abnormal areas of the prostate. Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT): A test to check for small amounts of hidden blood in stool.
Grade: A system for classifying cancer cells in terms of how abnormal they appear under a microscope. The grading system provides information about the probable growth rate of the tumor and its tendency to spread. The systems used to grade tumors vary with each type of cancer. Grading plays a role in treatment decisions.
Health Disparities: Differences or inequalities in health between different populations. Health disparities have often been reported for different races or ethnicities.
Incidence Rate: The number of new cases of cancer diagnosed in one year per 100,000 persons in the population.
Invasive Cervical Cancer: Cancer that has spread from the surface of the cervix to tissue deeper in the cervix or to other partsof the body.
Malignant: Cancerous.
Mammogram: An x-ray of the breast.
Melanoma: Cancer of the cells that produce pigment in the skin.
Mortality Rate: The number of people who died from a specific cancer in one year, expressed as the number of deaths per
100,000 persons in the population.
Papanicolaou (Pap) Test: Microscopic examination of cells collected from the cervix. The Pap test is used to detect
cancer, changes in the cervix that may lead to cancer, and non-cancerous conditions, such as infection or inflammation.
PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) Test: A test that measures the level of an enzyme (PSA) in the blood that increases due to diseases of the prostate gland, including prostate cancer.
Relative Survival Rate: The ratio of the calculated observed survival rate for patients with a particular cancer to the expected
survival rate for the general population. An assumption in using this statistic is that the presence of cancer is the only factor that is different for the two groups (all other characteristics are identical).
Risk Factor: Something that increases a person’s chance of developing a disease.
Sigmoidoscopy: A procedure in which the physician or health care provider looks inside the rectum and the lower part of the
colon (sigmoid colon) through a flexible lighted tube. During the procedure, the physician or health care provider may
collect samples of tissues or cells for closer examination.
Socioeconomic Status: A term used to classify an individual or population based on one or more indicators, such as
income, assets, employment, occupation, and education.
Squamous Cells: Flat cells that look like fish scales. These cells are found in the tissue that forms the surface of the skin, the lining of the hollow organs of the body, and the passages of the respiratory and digestive tracts.
Stage at Diagnosis: Tumors are categorized according to the extent of spread of disease. Tumors also are described
as carcinoma in situ, non-invasive, or highgrade dysplasia. These categories include neoplastic changes that precede the spread of fully developed cancers. Traditionally, cancers are staged as:
- Local: the tumor is confined to the organ of origin
- Regional: the tumor has extended beyond the organ of origin or involves local lymph nodes
- Distant: the tumor has spread to other vital organs
Years of Potential Life Lost: The number of potential years of life lost by each cancer death occurring before age 75.