unicentric

unicentric — adjective

  • unicentricpositive
  • more unicentriccomparative
  • most unicentricsuperlative

1. describing a disease or growth that begins in one place in the body and stays th

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

describing a disease or growth that begins in one place in the body and stays there, instead of spreading from or arising in many different spots

Example

Dr. Ahn told Mr. Kofi that his unicentric lymphoma could be treated with surgery alone.

unicentric + specific disease name (lymphoma)

Unlike the widespread type, unicentric Castleman disease affects only one group of lymph nodes.

contrast structure: unicentric vs widespread type

Common collocations
  • unicentric Castleman disease
  • unicentric lymphoma
  • unicentric growth pattern
  • unicentric tumor
Synonyms
  • monocentric

    broader technical term used across biology and genetics; 'unicentric' is more specific to pathology and disease classification

  • unifocal

    used in oncology and cardiology to describe a single site of origin; more common in describing lesions or arrhythmias than 'unicentric'

Antonyms
  • multicentric

    the direct opposite; describes disease arising from multiple separate centers at the same time

  • multifocal

    describes disease with multiple separate foci; used more broadly than 'multicentric' in medical contexts

Grammar Patterns

unicentric + noun (disease name)

Usage Note

Almost always used in attributive position (before a noun) in formal medical writing. The contrasting term is 'multicentric', which describes disease arising from multiple independent sites.

Common Mistakes

The tumor was unicentrically located.
The tumor had a unicentric growth pattern.
'unicentric' is an adjective; the adverbial form 'unicentrically' is not standard in medical English.
She was diagnosed with a unicentric infection.
She was diagnosed with unicentric Castleman disease.
'unicentric' is most commonly used with specific disease names (Castleman disease, lymphoma), not with general terms like 'infection'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three words describe something arising from a single point. In medical pathology, 'unicentric' is the preferred term for specific diseases such as Castleman disease and some lymphomas — it carries a strong connotation of a disease process rooted in one anatomical site. 'Monocentric' is a broader technical synonym used across biology (e.g., monocentric chromosomes) and is less common in clinical diagnoses. 'Unifocal' appears more in oncology and cardiology to describe lesions or arrhythmias limited to a single location. For example, a pathologist would describe 'unicentric Castleman disease', whereas a cardiologist might refer to 'unifocal atrial tachycardia'. The choice between these terms depends heavily on the medical specialty and the specific disease in question.

unicentric ↗monocentric ↗unifocal ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • unicentric vs multicentric
  • unicentric form of the disease

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'uni-' meaning 'one, single' combined with Latin 'centrum' meaning 'center'. The term entered English medical terminology in the 19th century as a precise way to describe diseases believed to originate from a single anatomical site, in contrast to multicentric diseases.