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Seraphin Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

cancer, heart disease - are they countable ?

While both "cancer" and "heart disease" seems countable, as we hear it all the times that
"you have a cancer" or "you have a heart disease"; why do we say "you are at risk of cancer"

"you are at risk of heart disease"? Any idea? 
  

Top answer

I have never used, nor heard being used, the expressions "you have a cancer" or "you have a heart disease". Certainly "you have a tumor"-- although that is not specifically a cancerous growth . But usually I use and hear "you have cancer" or "you have heart disease".

— Anonymous

  • I have never used, nor heard being used, the expressions "you have a cancer" or "you have a heart disease".
  • Certainly "you have a tumor"-- although that is not specifically a cancerous growth .
  • But usually I use and hear "you have cancer" or "you have heart disease".
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3 Answers
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I have never used, nor heard being used, the expressions "you have a cancer" or "you have a heart disease". Certainly "you have a tumor"--although that is not specifically a cancerous growth. But usually I use and hear "you have cancer" or "you have heart disease".
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Guess I am surrounded by doctors with poor knowledge of English grammar ?
They say it all the times that "you have A cancer in your prostate" or "you have A cancer in your stomach", although they also say 

"it's cancer" to their patients.
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They are either using a shorthand for "A cancerous tumour" or they are indicating that there is some kind of cancer but they are not sure which one precisely. Cancers are very variable.
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