Cancer etymology and its historical curious course

Translated title of the contribution: Cancer etymology and its historical curious course

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

The first cancer descriptions in history are discussed according to recent fndings and their interpretation, which show it as a group of unknown diseases until the 18th century, when it started to increase to actual levels. Medical literature shows a variety of what were considered cancer lesions, which are actually different lesions. This is partly due to an etymological misunderstanding of the Greek term karkinos that, in its modern sense, meant "cancer", but also ulcerative lesion. This confusion is widely reviewed in the ancient medical literature and the main landmarks of modern cancer conception up to the 18th century are outlined.

Translated title of the contributionCancer etymology and its historical curious course
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)137-141
Number of pages5
JournalRevista Peruana de Medicina Experimental y Salud Publica
Volume30
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013

Keywords

  • Etymology
  • History of medicine
  • Neoplasms
  • Ulcer

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