What is oncology?
Oncology is the branch of medicine that researches, identifies and treats cancer. A physician who works in the field of oncology is an oncologist.Oncologists must first diagnose a cancer, which is usually carried out via biopsy, endoscopy, X-ray, CT scanning, MRI, PET scanning, ultrasound or other radiological methods. Nuclear medicine can also be used to diagnose cancer, as can blood tests or tumor markers. Oncology is often linked with hematology, which is the branch of medicine that deals with blood and blood-related disorders.
What is cancer?
Each of the cells of the body have a tightly regulated system that controls their growth, maturity, reproduction and eventual death. Cancer begins when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. There are many kinds of cancer, but they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells.
How common is cancer?
Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have had cancer. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. About one-half of all men and one-third of all women in the US will develop cancer during their lifetimes.
Treatment team
Cancer is often treated in a team effort, with at least two or three types of oncologists, including medical, surgical or radiation. The oncology treatment team may also include a pathologist, a diagnostic radiologist or an oncology nurse. In the event of a new or a difficult-to-treat case of cancer, the oncology care team may consult a tumor board, made up of various medical experts from all relevant disciplines. The tumor board reviews the case and recommends the best course of cancer treatment for the patient.
Oncology nurse
The oncology nurse has many roles, from helping with cancer screening, detection and prevention, to the intensive care focus of bone marrow transplantation. Work settings for oncology nurses also vary and include acute care hospitals, ambulatory care clinics, private offices, radiation therapy facilities and home care agencies. Oncology nurses work with adult and pediatric patients with cancer.
Types of Oncologists
The field of oncology has several areas of specialization:• A medical oncologist treats cancer using chemotherapy or other medications.
• A hematologist-oncologist diagnoses and treats blood cancers, such as lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma.
• A surgical oncologist performs biopsies and removes the tumor and nearby tissue during an operation.
• A radiation oncologist treats cancer using radiation therapy.
• A gynecologic oncologist treats gynecologic cancers, such as ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers.
• A pediatric oncologist treats cancer in children.
Tools and Tests
The oncology team may use a combination of several tests to help with a cancer diagnosis. They include:• Medical history: Symptoms and personal health history is the most important diagnostic tool for cancer diagnosis and treatment
• Biopsy: Removal of tumor tissue to be tested
• Endoscopy: A non-surgical procedure to examine the digestive tract
• X-ray
• CT scan
• MRI scan
• Ultrasound
• Other radiological imaging techniques
• Blood tests: To help locate biological or tumor markers
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