onkos

from the greek roots index:
ONCOLOGY, from Greek... to carry... with derived noun onkos, a burden, mass, hence a tumor.

a burden indeed.
the burden of disfigurement
the burden of worry
the burden of pain
the burden of hours spent waiting for appointments and results
the burden of needle sticks and missed needle sticks and biopsies and surgeries
the burden of being told you're one of the lucky ones and wondering when you're going to start feeling lucky