can ‧ cer S2 W2 /ˈkænsə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: 'crab, cancer' ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] 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 cells
2 . [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