cancro
/ˈkan.kro/masculine
The Italian word for cancer is cancro.
cancro is a masculine noun used to refer to the disease of uncontrolled cellular proliferation.
Meaning: disease of uncontrolled cellular proliferation (noun)
Which one should you use?
The lowercase cancro refers specifically to the disease, whereas the capitalized Cancro is used when referring to the astrological sign or the constellation.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When discussing cancer as a general medical condition, it is common in Italian to use the definite article, such as in il cancro.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable. The IPA is /ˈkan.kro/.
When do people say it?
The term Il Male can be used as a general term to refer to any kind of illness, including cancer.
Did you know?
- Ancient physicians chose the word for this disease because the swollen veins around a tumor reminded them of a crab's legs.
- In many sensitive medical conversations, Italians use the euphemism il male, which literally translates to 'the evil' or 'the badness'.
- In Italian, the expression prendere un granchio ('to catch a crab') is an idiom meaning to make a blunder or a mistake.
Examples in context
- Io ho un cancro.I have cancer.This sentence is useful for stating that you have the disease.Tatoeba #2433168 by Guybrush88, translation #2245875 by CK
- Lui ha il cancro.He has got cancer.This sentence is useful for stating that someone else has the disease using a definite article.Tatoeba #2347006 by Guybrush88, translation #289608 by TracyPoff
- Tom ha un cancro.Tom has cancer.This sentence is useful for stating that a third person has the disease.Tatoeba #3006244 by Guybrush88, translation #1558356 by Spamster
- 106 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alessandro and Sofia are talking about a relative's health.
- AlessandroMia zia ha lottato contro il cancro.My aunt fought against cancer.
- SofiaMi dispiace molto, Alessandro.I am very sorry, Alessandro.
- AlessandroGrazie, ora sta meglio dopo le cure.Thank you, she is better now after the treatment.
- SofiaÈ una notizia fantastica.That is fantastic news.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cancer” translations and entries cancro, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
