cancer vs malady

cancer

noun
  • A disease in which the cells of a tissue undergo uncontrolled (and often rapid) proliferation. 

  • Something damaging that spreads throughout something else. 

adj
  • Extremely unpleasant and annoying. 

malady

noun
  • Any ailment or disease of the body; especially, a lingering or deep-seated disorder. 

  • A moral or mental defect or disorder. 

How often have the words cancer and malady occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )