# Cancer vs. cancer, the crab **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 3, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-vs-cancer-the-crab/91241 "2001-11-03T01:15:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-vs-cancer-the-crab/91241/1 "2001-11-03T01:15:08Z")
Is there some correlation between “cancer”, the crab vs. cancer the disease? I WAG I once read it had something to do with hard tumors of the disease equating to a hard crab shell. Anyone know the scoop on this? Being a cancer, it’s always bothered me! - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-vs-cancer-the-crab/91241/2 "2001-11-03T01:19:02Z")
The disease is called cancer after the crab, because a spreading tumor looks like a crab, or at least the ones did that they named these diseases after. Or so I’ve been told. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-vs-cancer-the-crab/91241/3 "2001-11-03T01:26:08Z")
**DPWhite** , you’re right, but I’d like to point out that “cancer” is simply the Latin word for “crab”. Both the disease and the constellation were named what they are because of their resemblance to a crab. ---
**Author:** ![insider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@insider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insider)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-vs-cancer-the-crab/91241/4 "2001-11-03T01:26:16Z")
From what I understand, a tumor needs many blood vessels to grow. As the tumor grows the vessels grow around the mass until it looks very much like a crab. I beleive that is why it is called cancer. But, I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-vs-cancer-the-crab/91241/5 "2001-11-03T05:22:02Z")
Just to add, probably pointlessly, that the German word for both cancer and crab is Krebs, as well. Cognate fun. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-vs-cancer-the-crab/91241/6 "2001-11-03T16:49:14Z")
I read that the disease is named after the animal because of the way it gradually eats away at its victim, not because of a similar shape. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-vs-cancer-the-crab/91241/7 "2001-11-03T17:17:29Z")
## At this site, read: [http://www.ralphmoss.com/html/galen.shtml](http://www.ralphmoss.com/html/galen.shtml) ## It was Hippocrates who named cancer “karkinos” 18 after the crab. According to legend, it was so called because this disease “has the veins stretched on all sides as the animal the crab has its feet, whence it derives its name.” 19 The Roman Physician Galen also used these terms to describe what we now call cancer. (Both H & G recommended leaving the growth alone, “first do no harm” and all that). They also refered to “onkoi” or “masses/tumors” hence the modern practice of… oncology.