Cancer is defined as a constellation of stars shaped like a crab, the fourth sign in the zodiac, and a person born between June 21st to July 21st.
(noun)The definition of cancer is a disease with tumors or other uncontrolled growths that damage the body, or anything harmful that spreads.
(noun)See cancer in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
Origin: ME & OE < L, a crab; later, malignant tumor; by dissimilation (? already in IE) < IE *karkar-, redupl. of base *kar-, hard > hard, Gr karbinos, crab, Sans karkara, rough, hard, karkata, crab
Related Forms:
See cancer in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
Origin:
Origin: Middle English; see canker
.Related Forms:
noun In all senses also called Crab.
Origin:
Origin: Middle English
Origin: , from Latin; see canker
.See cancer in Ologies
Cancer
See also disease and illness.
adenocele
a cystic tumor that may develop in the glands.
a malignant glandular tumor of the soft tissues of the body.
a malignant tumor that may invade the brain and spinal cord, especially investing blood vessels.
a brain tumor composed of large, star-shaped cells called astrocytes.
a neoplasm arising in the blastema, i.e., tissue from which an organ or part is formed. Also blastocytoma.
cancericidal
of or pertaining to a chemical or process than can destroy malignant cells.
carcinomophobia.
1. of or pertaining to a lesion that resembles cancer.
2. a malignant skin cancer.
carcinectomy
the surgical removal of a cancer.
any natural or artificial substance that can produce or trigger cancer, as arsenic, asbestos, ionizing radiation, ultraviolet rays, x rays, and many derivatives of coal tar. —carcinogenic, adj.
a small, yellow tumor that may develop from argentaffin cells in the gastrointestinal mucosa and spread widely throughout the body.
carcinolysis
the destruction of malignant cells, as by an antineoplastic drug.
1. a malignant tumor that may spread to surrounding tissue and distant areas of the body.
2. any kind of epithelial cancer. —carcinomatous, adj.
carcinosis.
an abnormal fear of cancer. Also called cancerophobia.
carcinophilia
an afflnity for cancerous tissue, a property of certain chemical agents. —carcinophilic, adj.
1. an abnormal condition characterized by the growth of numer-ous carcinomas throughout the body. Also carcinomatosis.
2. the process of development of carcinoma.
carcinostatic
of or pertaining to the slowing or stopping of the growth of a carcinoma.
celiothelioma
mesothelioma.
any abnormal mass of brain tissue, malignant or benign.
a therapeutic procedure that uses chemicals to destroy pathogenic tissue, especially skin cancers.
a procedure that uses radioisotopes of various elements, as iodine, phosphorus, and gold, to treat cancers of the thyroid gland, lungs, and other organs.
a malignant, greenish tumor that invades myeloid tissue and fluoresces red under ultraviolet light.
chondrocarcinoma
a malignant cartilageous tumor of the epithelium.
a malignant cartilageous tumor that most frequently invades the long bones, pelvis, and the scapula.
a rare congenital tumor of the brain.
chorioblastoma
choriocarcinoma.
a uterine malignancy that may develop shortly after conception, during pregnancy, or after an abortion. Also called chorioblastoma, chorionic epithelioma.
a malignant tumor of the mammary ducts.
any neoplasm or tumor that contains cysts, especially any such tumor that invades the ovaries.
cytotechnology
the study of human cells, especially to detect signs of cancer. —cytotechnologist, n. —cytotechnolqgic, adj.
a malignancy of the blood characterized by abnormally productive bone marrow and the development of oddly-shaped blood cells.
any of the predominant category of brain tumors composed of cancerous glial cells (a type of nerve cell).
a malignant tumor of the liver that most commonly occurs in association with hepatitis or cirrhosis,
a malignancy of blood-producing tissues, characterized by proliferating immature white blood cells and infiltration of the spleen, liver, and other organs. Also leukocythemia. —leukemie, leukemoid, adj.
leukocythemia
leukemia.
a cancerous growth of primitive fat cells. Also called lipoma sarcomatode.
a growth of lymphoid tissue that is commonly cancerous and typically enlarges the lymph nodes.
a malignant tumor that commonly originates in the cere-bellum.
any malignant growth, especially in the skin, that is composed of melanin-producing cells.
a rare malignant tumor that may invade the linings of the lungs and the abdomen. Also called celiothelioma.
the spread of malignancies, characterized by the cancerous invasion of the lymphatic system, the blood, and body organs. —metastatic, adj. —metastasize, v.
the abnormal proliferation of benign or malignant cells. —neoplastic, adj.
the abnormal development of benign or cancerous tissue. —neoplastic, adj.
a tumor that develops in a neural sheath and that may become malignant.
a highly malignant tumor that may develop from the neural plate in an embryo and spread to the bones, liver, and other organs.
neurosarcoma
a malignant growth composed of neural, connective, and vascular tissues. Also called malignant neuroma.
the process by which a tumor develops. —oncogenic, adj.
the field of medicine that specializes in the study of tumors.
a giant cell bone tumor that most commonly develops at the end of a long bone.
a malignant bone tumor. Also called osteogenic sarcoma.
a common childhood malignancy of the eye that develops from retinal cells.
a rare malignant tumor of the soft tissues that commonly develops in the lower extremities.
ulocarcinoma
a malignancy of the gums.
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