Changes

Risk relates to the probability or chance that an outcome (e.g. lung cancer) will occur during a given length of time. Terms relating to risk are listed below:

[[Lag]]: for diseases such as cancer, there is a minimum latent period (latency) between an exposure and the clinical manifestation of a consequent excess risk of the disease during which no cases attributable to the exposure occur. Therefore, a lag is often introduced in an assessment such that no cases occurring within the minimum latent period following an exposure are included in the assessment. Further, if an exposure is protracted, such as occupational exposures to radiation, exposures are usually lagged so that doses received during the minimum latent period immediately preceding the time at which an assessment is conducted are excluded from the assessment. Examples of minimum latent periods are 2 years for leukaemia, and 5 or 10 years for lung cancer.