Definition: Main Entry: cancer

Pronunciation: 'kan(t)-s&r

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin (genitive Cancri), literally, crab; akin to Greek karkinos crab, cancer

1 capitalized a : a northern zodiacal constellation between Gemini and Leo b (1) : the 4th sign of the zodiac in astrology -- see ZODIAC table (2) : one born under the sign of Cancer

2 [Latin, crab, cancer] a : a malignant tumor of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally by invasion and systemically by metastasis b : an abnormal bodily state marked by such tumors

3 : something evil or malignant that spreads destructively <the cancer of hidden resentment -- Irish Digest>

4 a : an enlarged tumorlike plant growth (as that of crown gall) b : a plant disease marked by such growths

- cancerous /'kan(t)s-r&s, 'kan(t)-s&-/ adjective
cancerously adverb

Cancer Statistics

(All figures are for U.S.)
Deaths Annually: 553,091 (2000)
Age-Adjusted Death Rate: 200.9 deaths per 100,000 population (2000)
Cause of Death Rank: 2 (2000)
Source: National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 50, No. 16
Hospital Discharges: 1,156,000 (2000)
Average Length of Hospital Stay: 6.7 days (2000)
Source: Advance Data 329
Overall, 6% of adults 18 years of age and over had ever had some form of cancer. Women were somewhat more likely than men to have ever had cancer (1997)
Among women 65 years of age and over, 6% had ever had breast cancer, and 8% of men 65 years of age and over had ever had prostate cancer (1997)
Source: Series 10, No. 205