'anticancer' originates from combining the Greek prefix 'anti-' (Greek 'anti', where 'anti-' meant 'against') and the Latin word 'cancer' (Latin 'cancer', where 'cancer' meant 'crab').

'anticancer' developed in modern English medical usage from the hyphenated form 'anti-cancer' and eventually became the single-word form 'anticancer'.

Initially it literally meant 'against cancer'; over time it came to be used specifically for agents or treatments that prevent, inhibit, or treat cancer.