CANCEROUS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cancerous mean? 

• CANCEROUS (adjective)
  The adjective CANCEROUS has 2 senses:

1. relating to or affected with cancer

2. like a cancer; an evil that grows and spreads

  Familiarity information: CANCEROUS used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CANCEROUS (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Relating to or affected with cancer

Context example:

a cancerous growth

Similar:

malignant (dangerous to health; characterized by progressive and uncontrolled growth (especially of a tumor))

Derivation:

cancer (any malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division; it may spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or the blood stream)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Like a cancer; an evil that grows and spreads

Context example:

pornography is cancerous to the moral development of our children

Similar:

malign (evil or harmful in nature or influence)

 Context examples 

The system provides a reproducible description of the glandular architecture of prostate tissue to which a pathologist assigns a score depending primarily on the microscopic patterns of cancerous glands and cell morphology.

(Gleason Score for Prostate Cancer, NCI Thesaurus)

Ferumoxtran-10, which accumulates in non-cancerous lymphatic tissue, is used as a molecular resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent.

(Ferumoxtran-10, NCI Thesaurus)

A morphologic qualifier indicating that a cancerous lesion is well differentiated.

(Grade 1, NCI Thesaurus)

A morphologic qualifier indicating that a cancerous lesion is moderately differentiated.

(Grade 2, NCI Thesaurus)

A morphologic qualifier indicating that a cancerous lesion is poorly differentiated.

(Grade 3, NCI Thesaurus)

This may prevent apoptosis in normal, healthy cells during radiotherapy of cancerous cells and may allow for increased doses of ionizing radiation.

(Entolimod, NCI Thesaurus)

As a result, this agent may restore apoptotic processes in cancerous cells.

(Dexanabinol, NCI Thesaurus)

Surgical removal of a non-diseased breast along with a cancerous one to reduce the risk of future breast carcinoma.

(Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy, NCI Thesaurus)

A term that usually refers to the clinical course of lymphomas and indicates that the cancerous lymph nodes are next to each other.

(Contiguous Disease, NCI Thesaurus)

Surgery to remove all malignant (cancerous) tissue, which is meant to cure the disease.

(Curative surgery, NCI Dictionary)