cancer

Universal Words noun 1 [U,C] a serious disease in which growths of cells, also called cancers, form in the body and kill normal body cells. The disease often causes death: lung / breast cancer * cancer of the bowel / stomach * Most skin cancers are completely curable. * The cancer has spread to his stomach. * Smokers face an increased risk of developing lung cancer. * cancer patients * cancer research 2 [C] (literary) an evil or dangerous thing that spreads quickly: Violence is a cancer in our society. cancerous adjective: to become cancerous * cancerous cells / growths / tumours