◙ noun 1. [mass noun] a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body • 癌症 »he's got cancer. 他得了癌症。 »smoking is the major cause of lung cancer. 吸烟是引起肺癌的主要原因。 [count noun] a malignant growth or tumour resulting from such a division of cells • 癌，恶性肿瘤 »most skin cancers are curable. 绝大多数皮肤恶性肿瘤可以医治。 [count noun] (figurative)a practice or phenomenon perceived to be evil or destructive and hard to contain or eradicate • [喻] （难控制或根除的）弊端，痼疾 »racism is a cancer sweeping across Europe. 种族主义是席卷欧洲的痼疾。
【派生】
♦ cancerous adjective
【语源】
1. Old English, from Latin, crab or creeping ulcer', translating Greek karkinos, said to have been applied to such tumours because the swollen veins around them resembled the limbs of a crab. canker was the usual form until the 17th cent. --› compareCancer