When did the word cancer appear?

The word cancer was first proposed by Hippocrates (460-370 BC), a famous Greek doctor. He is known as the "Father of Medicine". Hippocrates used the terms "carcinos" and "carcinoma" to describe non-ulcerative and ulcerative tumors.

In Greek, "carcinos" and "carcinoma" both refer to "crab". The reason why such a word is used to name this disease is because cancer is diffusible and can easily be associated with cancer. The way the crab looks like when its claws are spread out in all directions. Carcinoma is the most common type of cancer.

Extended information

The history of cancer is earlier than the emergence of humans. Scientists have found traces of tumors on dinosaur fossils from the Jurassic period 15,000 years ago. It seems that cancer has existed long before the birth of humans. From the era of early Homo sapiens more than 200,000 years ago to the present, cancer has been accompanying the evolution of the human body and the development of civilization.

As far as the current medical level is concerned, humans are still unable to defeat cancer. Maybe one day in the future, we will develop drugs or treatments that can cure cancer. This is worth looking forward to. Moreover, since the beginning of the 21st century, several major cancers have been controlled, and the mortality rate has been declining year by year. This decline is stable, sustained and significant. With the development and progress of medicine in the future, we have reason to believe that humans will definitely find a way to defeat cancer.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Cancer