癌症 (áizhèng)

癌症 is the general term for cancer in Chinese. It refers to diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells and is one of the most discussed serious medical conditions.

Meanings

[noun] cancer; a malignant disease caused by uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells

Example Sentences

早期发现癌症可以大大提高治愈率。 Zǎoqī fāxiàn áizhèng kěyǐ dàdà tígāo zhìyù lǜ. Early detection of cancer can greatly improve the cure rate.

他的父亲去年被诊断出患有肺癌症。 Tā de fùqīn qùnián bèi zhěnduàn chū huànyǒu fèi áizhèng. His father was diagnosed with lung cancer last year.

吸烟是导致癌症的重要原因之一。 Xīyān shì dǎozhì áizhèng de zhòngyào yuányīn zhī yī. Smoking is one of the important causes of cancer.

随着医学的进步，许多癌症已经可以治疗。 Suízhe yīxué de jìnbù, xǔduō áizhèng yǐjīng kěyǐ zhìliáo. With advances in medicine, many cancers can now be treated.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
患癌症	to have / be diagnosed with cancer
预防癌症	to prevent cancer
治疗癌症	to treat cancer
肺癌 / 胃癌	lung cancer / stomach cancer

Usage Notes

癌症 is the general term for cancer. Specific cancers drop the 症 and add the organ: 肺癌 (lung cancer), 胃癌 (stomach cancer), 乳腺癌 (breast cancer), etc. The character 癌 (ái) on its own also means cancer/malignant tumor. 症 (zhèng) means "condition" or "symptom," making 癌症 literally "cancer condition."

Memory Hook

癌 contains 品 (products/goods) inside a 疒 (illness radical) — imagine unhealthy "products" growing uncontrollably inside the body.