why the name CANCER is only given for overgrowth of cells?

Answer 1

The creature CANCER has many legs and it moves side words and also penetrate in sand very fast. Similarly the the cells affected by disease CANCER also spreads very fast both side words and also by penetrate. Spreading or overgrowth of Cancer cells resembles movement of the creature Cancer. So the name Cancer is given-

Answer 2

The name CANCER is an overall term applied to over 200 different diseases. These diseases each affect a specific cell that for unknown reasons mutates and begins to grow uncontrollably. Cancer can invade local tissue, enlarge, and has the ability to shed hundreds of maligant microscopic cells into the blood stream and lymphatic system. Through this avenue cancer metastasizes and a brand new tumor can grow in a distant location from the original tumor. These satellite tumors can also metastasize and send out hundreds of microscopic cancer cells . . and so it becomes a vicous cycle that if left untreated is fatal.

If you are speaking about why the word is used to describe the overgrowth of cells, it is credited to Aulus Cornelius Celsus sometime between 25 BC - 50 who used the word to describe what the tumor looked like . . a crab. Hippocrates also uses the word cancer to describe what a tumor looked like when it was sliced open - he described a roundish solid center surrounded by long and pointy projections that somewhat resembled a crab.

ACS: The history of cancer
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_the_history_of_cancer_72.asp

Answer 3

Cancer is not given just for overgrowth of cells. It's cancer because the cells are destructive to the human body and they start to spread. You can have cancer in one spot and it never spread or overgrow it just isn't a malignant form. Any kind of tumor is actually and overgrowth of cells. It can either be benign and not do anything but local damage or malignant and spread at various rates.

Answer 4

Would you like to name it something else?