Title

The story of how cancer got its name.

Authors

Panegyres, Konstantine

Abstract

The disease called cancer was named after the animal known as the crab. According to ancient tradition, cancer was named after the crab because of the aggressivity or obstinacy of the crab or because of the appearance of the crab's tangled legs. The name of cancer comes from the ancient Greek word for "crab." This article explains why the disease was named after a crab.

Subjects

DISEASE nomenclature; HISTORY of medicine; ZOOLOGICAL nomenclature; CRABS; ONCOLOGY

Publication

Cancer (0008543X), 2024, Vol 130, Issue 20, p3401

ISSN

0008-543X

Publication type

Academic Journal

DOI

10.1002/cncr.35428