Why Is the Disease Called “Cancer”? (History, Etymology & Meaning)
Short answer: Ancient Greek doctors used karkinos—“crab”—for certain tumors that looked and behaved like a crab: a hard center with radiating, claw-like veins and a stubborn grip. Romans translated it to Latin as cancer. The name stuck, and modern terms like carcinoma and oncology reflect that history.
Quick take
- Word roots: Greek karkinos → Latin cancer → English “cancer.”
- Who used it early: Hippocrates used carcinos/carcinoma for tumors; Romans kept the name as cancer.
- Why “crab”: the visual of a firm mass with radiating vessels and the disease’s tight, invasive “grip.”
- Connected terms: Galen’s oncos (“swelling”) gave us oncology, the study of tumors.
Greek origins: karkinos (the crab)
In the 5th century BCE, Greek physicians—most famously Hippocrates—used the terms karkinos and karkinōma to describe malignant tumors. The words literally mean “crab.” The comparison wasn’t poetic—it was observational. Some tumors presented as a firm central mass with vein-like strands spreading outward, recalling a crab’s rounded body and splayed legs.
Roman adoption: from karkinos to cancer
As Greek medical knowledge flowed into Rome, authors like Aulus Cornelius Celsus translated karkinos directly into Latin as cancer, which also means “crab.” Medieval and Renaissance physicians wrote in Latin, so the term persisted. By the time medicine shifted to national languages, “cancer” was firmly established in medical vocabulary.
Galen and oncos → oncology
The physician Galen (2nd century CE) often used the word oncos—Greek for “swelling” or “mass”—to discuss abnormal growths. From this comes oncology, the discipline focused on tumors and cancer. Galen also amplified the crab analogy in descriptive passages about breast tumors, noting the crab-like appearance formed by stretched veins.
Why the crab analogy made sense
- Shape: a round core with radiating vessels looked like a crab’s body and legs.
- Grip: malignant tumors seemed to “claw” into nearby tissues, resisting removal—like a crab that won’t let go.
- Behavior: the invasive, relentless spread echoed the crab’s tenacity in the minds of early observers.
From ancient name to modern medicine
The ancient words still echo in today’s clinic. Cancer remains the umbrella term for malignant disease. Carcinoma names cancers that arise from epithelial tissues (such as breast, colon, or lung). And oncology—from Galen’s oncos—is the field devoted to understanding and treating tumors. While modern science explains cancer through genetics, cell biology, and immunology, the millennia-old name reminds us how medicine began: by careful looking.
FAQs
Why is the disease called “cancer”?
Because ancient Greek doctors used karkinos—“crab”—for tumors whose appearance and behavior suggested a crab. Romans translated it to cancer, and the name endured.
Who first used the term “carcinoma”?
Hippocrates used carcinos and carcinoma. Today, carcinoma specifically refers to cancers originating in epithelial cells.
What’s the connection between “cancer” and “oncology”?
Galen’s term oncos (“swelling”) led to oncology, the branch of medicine that studies and treats tumors and cancer.
Does the crab analogy still matter?
It does as a historical insight. The analogy captured the look and grip of aggressive tumors. Modern medicine uses precise scientific definitions, but the name persists.
