Cancer: the significance of a word

Abstract

There is evidence to suggest the presence of tumors in vertebrate animals that inhabited the Earth 200 million years ago. This fact has been deciphered thanks to the information contained by several hieroglyphs of that time. When analyzing the medical writings of the Roman, Greek and Arabian classics, it is easy to deduce that this was not a rare disease in ancient times. On the planet we live in, few words cause such abhorrence as the word cancer. Paradoxically, this condition, both in the animal and plant kingdoms, has captivated the attention of peoples and scientists throughout history. This is the disease that with the greatest psychological impact, due to its bad omens, has kept many people awake in all latitudes. Even some professionals who have been trained in medical schools and scientific institutions do not get away from the fear of its diagnosis. The origins of the word cancer date back to the ancient Greek word karkinos, which means crab. It was already used since the times of Hippocrates to refer to certain tumors because the Greek physician observed its resemblance to a crab. In the social sphere, due to the historical stigmas that the disease has been loaded with, it is usually associated with all moral evils, corruption, and vices which devour a society or any other type of organization. Without doubt, the sick person who in a doctor’s office has been diagnosed with cancer might feel very bad and even offended to hear this word. Cancer is a potentially curable or controllable chronic disease. The key to achieve this is to know it better. It is to this educative work that the whole society is summoned.