ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a critical overview on pertinent investigations and concepts and aims to clarify some conceptual problems. It describes the interpretation of the points, the main features of the aging process. In order to assess the possible role of oxidative damage in cancer, it should be first recognized that cancer is the generic term for all kinds of malignant neoplasms which may be the result of different etiopathogenic factors. The mean life span is the sum of the ages of all individuals in a population, divided by the number of individuals. The categorization of age-related diseases is somewhat imprecise, and the relations between these diseases and the aging process are complex. Arteriosclerosis is a generic term for atherosclerosis, focal calcific arteriosclerosis, and arteriolosclerosis. The most severe degrees of emphysema are found in males who smoke heavily. The reported functional declines in man at rest are more accentuated in cross-sectional than in longitudinal studies.
