Cancerophobia

/ˌkænsərəˈfoʊbiə/ noun

Definition

An extreme fear or dread of cancer, the disease.

Etymology

From Latin 'cancer' (crab, malignant tumor) combined with Greek 'phobos' (fear). The term emerged in medical psychology during the 20th century as cancer became more widely discussed in society.

Kelly Says

This word reveals how deeply disease and death shape human psychology—cancerophobia is so common that therapists have specific treatments for it, showing how one word can capture a entire generation's anxiety about mortality.

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