Term | Definition |
A |
| APC | Annual Percent Change used to measure trend or the change in rate over time |
| Age-Adjusted Rate | An age-adjusted incidence or mortality rate is a weighted average of the age-specific incidence or mortality rates where the weights are the proportions of persons in the corresponding age groups of a standard million population. Age adjustment minimizes the effect of a difference in age distributions when comparing rates. For Provincial Cancer Profiles, all incidence and mortality rates are age-adjusted to the 1991 Canadian standard million population to facilitate comparison of rates across geographic areas and demographic groups. |
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B |
| Body Mass Index (BMI) | A measure of body fat based upon height and weight. The index applies to both men and women. |
| Brain & ONS | ONS stands for Other Nervous System. We combine brain and other nervous system together as one cancer site grouping -– Brain and ONS. This includes two groupings: Brain and Cranial Nerves Other Nervous System. |
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C |
| Colonoscopy | An examination of the inside of the colon using a thin, lighted tube (called a colonoscope) inserted into the rectum. If abnormal areas are seen, tissue can be removed and examined under a microscope to determine whether disease is present. |
| Colorectal | Having to do with the colon or the rectum. |
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D |
| Death Rate | Deaths per year per 100,000 persons. |
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F |
| Fecal Occult Blood Test | A screening test for cancers of the colon or rectum that checks for blood in stool. (Fecal refers to stool; occult means hidden.) |
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I |
| In Situ Cancer | Early cancer that has not spread to neighbouring tissue. |
| Incidence Rate | The number of newly diagnosed cancers per year per 100,000 persons. |
| Interval Colour | Colour on the map that the area is represented by as well as other values in that range. |
| Interval Range | Range of values that the area has been grouped with. |
| Invasive Cancer | Cancer that has spread beyond the layer of tissue in which it developed and is growing into surrounding, healthy tissues. Also called infiltrating cancer. Incidence data on this site is invasive unless otherwise noted as in situ. |
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J |
| Joinpoint | Statistical software for the analysis of trends using a joinpoint regression model; that is, models describe the trends by a sequence of connected straight line segments. |
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L |
| Lifetime Risk | The probability of developing or dying of cancer. |
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M |
| Malignant | Cancerous. Malignant tumors can invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body. |
| Mammography | The use of x-rays to create a picture of the breast. |
| Mortality | Death. |
| Mortality Rate | Deaths per year per 100,000 persons. |
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O |
| Brain & ONS | ONS stands for Other Nervous System. We combine brain and other nervous system together as one cancer site grouping -– Brain and ONS. This includes two groupings: Brain and Cranial Nerves Other Nervous System. |
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P |
| Pap smear | The collection of cells from the cervix for examination under a microscope. It is used to detect changes that may be cancer or may lead to cancer, and can show noncancerous conditions, such as infection or inflammation. Also called a Pap test. |
| Prevalence | The number of new and pre-existing cases alive on a certain date |
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R |
| Rate | Cases or deaths per 100,000 persons |
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S |
| SEER*Stat | Software used with the incidence and mortality data over the Internet or as a PC desktop system for production of a myriad of cancer statistics, such as incidence rates and survival rates, for various demographic and medical input variables. |
| Sigmoidoscopy | Inspection of the lower colon using a thin, lighted tube called a sigmoidoscope. Samples of tissue or cells may be collected for examination under a microscope. Also called proctosigmoidoscopy. |
| Survival | The proportion of patients alive at some point subsequent to the diagnosis of their cancer. |
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T |
| Trend | Change in rate over time expressed as an annual percent change. |
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