From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcancercan‧cer /ˈkænsə $ -ər/ ●●● S2 W2 noun 1 MI[countable, uncountable] a very serious disease in which cells in one part of the body start to grow in a way that is not normal → tumour A lot of cancers can now be treated successfully.lung/breast/stomach etc cancer Smoking causes lung cancer. She was told last year that she had cancer. He died of cancer last month.cancer of cancer of the womb a new treatment which effectively kills cancer cells2 [countable] an evil influence that affects a lot of people and is difficult to stop Drug abuse is the cancer of our society. —cancerous adjective a cancerous growth cancerous cells
Examples from the Corpus
cancer• cancer of the liver• The mayor has called drug abuse "a cancer on our society."• An extra tablespoon sprinkled over the breakfast cereal can help control irritable bowel syndrome, piles, appendicitis and bowel cancer.• Childhood cancers are diffuse, that is, they affect the whole body, so systematic treatment is the rule.• What was your reaction when you were first told you had cancer?• lung cancer• And his wife Marion, 37, has had a major cancer op.• He died of cancer at the age of 63.• Nowhere in film had she seen images of people outliving cancer.• The authors indicate therefore that excesses of prostatic cancer in industrial workforces are unlikely to be due to external radiation.• They knew all about the mills, about the cancer.cancer cells• Without blood, cancer cells starve.• Differences in the glycosylation of cell surface components of colorectal cancer cells have been previously shown.• The virus proved highly selective in killing several lines of human cancer cells in laboratory cell cultures.• The third works by making cancer cells susceptible to laser light which can be used to destroy them.• Happened to notice a bunch of cancer cells.• Neoprobe, a biotechnology company, has developed a technology that makes it easier for surgeons to target only cancer cells.• Paclitaxel prevents cancer cells by binding to cell components called microtubules.• Was that due to decreased amounts of cholesterol in the cancer cells?CancerCancer noun 1 [uncountable]ROA the fourth sign of the zodiac, represented by a crab, which some people believe affects the character and life of people born between June 22 and July 232 (also Cancerian /kænˈsɪəriən $ -ˈsɪr-/) [countable]ROA someone who was born between June 22 and July 23 —Cancerian adjectiveExamples from the Corpus
Cancer• I found an excellent microscopic representation of a cancer cell, used by the Cancer Research Campaign in their appeal advertisement.• Results - Cancer mortality was not significantly different in clinic patients as a whole and controls.• A leaflet has been produced by the Cancer Research Campaign which gives information about these changes.• Since his recovery, he's been running for the Cancer Research Campaign.• Now, suddenly I had to remind myself of the truth. Cancer was dangerous, deadly dangerous.Origin cancer (1600-1700) Latin “crab, cancer” Cancer (1300-1400) Latin CANCER 