Cancer Flashcards
Life expectancy in Canada for cancer
at birth:
- all: 80.9 years
- male: 78.5 years
- female: 83.1 years
at 65 years:
- all: 85 years
- male: 84.3 years
- female: 86.5 years
Cancer stats
- Cancer surpassed cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death in Canada in 2007
- rise in both men and women
What is cancer?
uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells anywhere in the body
Types of cancer
there are more than 200 types of cancer but the most common are (50% in Canada)
- lung
- prostate
- breast
- colorectal (in the large intestines)
Apoptosis
type of cell death
Progression of cancer development
- hyperplasia
- dysplasia
- carcinoma in situ
- malignant tumour
Hyperplasia
an increase in the number of cells in an organ or tissue (not cancer yet but might become)
Dysplasia
abnormal growth or development of tissue or organ
Carcinoma in situ
(benign tumour) the most severe type of precancerous stage (not cancer)
Malignant tumour
abnormal growth becomes cancer when it grows into the nearby tissues
Stages of cancer
most common staging system used in Canada is the TNM system (can vary by cancer type)
- Tumor size
- Node (lymph node)
- Metastasis
Tumor size
size is graded from 1 to 4 (higher number meaning the tumor is large)
Lymph node
N0- cancer hasn’t spread to any nearby lymph nodes
N1, N2 and N3- cancer has spread to lymph nodes (can also describe the number of lymph nodes that contain cancer as well as their size and location)
Metastasis
describes whether the cancer has spread to the other parts of the body through blood or lymphatic system
M0- cancer has not spread
M1- it has spread
Risk factors for cancer
pancreatitis is a risk for pancreatic cancer
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a risk for colon cancer
obesity is a risk for both pancreatic and colon cancer
