Okuzeka
Medicine vocabulary · Diseases by System

Cancer

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˈkænsər/nounCore term

In medicine, cancer means: A disease in which abnormal cells grow out of control, can destroy nearby tissue and may spread to other parts of the body.

In Turkish: kanser

How it is used

Named after the organ where it starts: breast, lung, bowel (colorectal) or prostate cancer. Doctors talk about early and advanced cancer, staging and treatment; in notes they may write 'Ca' or use 'malignancy'. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, they use the word clearly with the patient.

Example sentences

  1. Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death in many countries.

  2. I'm afraid the biopsy shows that this is cancer.

Common collocations

  • breast cancer
  • lung cancer
  • cancer screening
  • advanced cancer
  • be diagnosed with cancer
  • malignantCancerous, and able to grow into nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body; also used for conditions that are very dangerous.
  • tumorAn abnormal lump or mass of tissue that forms when cells divide more than they should; it can be benign or malignant.
  • metastasisThe spread of cancer cells from where they first grew to another part of the body; also a new tumor formed in this way.
  • chemotherapyTreatment with drugs that kill cancer cells or stop them dividing, usually given in cycles with rest periods in between.
  • biopsyThe removal of a small piece of tissue from the body so that it can be examined under a microscope, often to check for cancer.

More terms: Diseases by System

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.