Oncology

From WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia

Oncology is a specialized field within medicine focusing on the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of tumors and cancers. At its core, oncology seeks to understand the aberrant cellular activities that result in cancer, a group of related diseases characterized by uncontrolled cellular division and the invasion of neighboring tissues.

What is Cancer?[edit | edit source]

Cancer is essentially a condition where the body’s cells start dividing incessantly without any halt, subsequently invading and damaging the surrounding tissues. Different cancers are named based on their origin, i.e., the location in the body where they start. For instance, lung cancers begin in the lungs, and breast cancers originate in the breasts.

Common Types of Cancer[edit | edit source]

Cancer can manifest in any part of the body. Some of the most prevalent cancers in the United States include:

Professionals in Oncology[edit | edit source]

Oncologists are the physicians who have specialized training and experience in diagnosing, treating, and preventing cancer. Depending on their specific focus within oncology, they can be:

  • Medical oncologists: Primarily use chemotherapy for treatment.
  • Surgical oncologists: Focus on surgical interventions for cancer.
  • Radiation oncologists: Specialists in using radiation as a therapeutic measure against cancer.

Medical Oncology[edit | edit source]

Medical oncologists primarily deal with the non-surgical aspects of cancer care, encompassing diagnosis, staging, and treatment.

Conditions Treated[edit | edit source]

  • Medical oncologists are seasoned physicians, specializing in the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of cancer, employing tools like chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy, and targeted therapy.
  • Often, a medical oncologist takes on the role of the primary healthcare provider for cancer patients, ensuring a multidimensional care strategy.
  • Their role also extends to offering supportive care and orchestrating treatments recommended by other healthcare professionals.

Procedures[edit | edit source]

Medical oncologists are adept at a range of procedures, including:

List of Medical oncologists (USA)[edit | edit source]

Surgical Oncology[edit | edit source]

Surgical oncologists are skilled surgeons with a specific focus on surgical procedures designed to diagnose, stage, and treat cancer. Their expertise can be pivotal in removing tumors and affected tissues, and sometimes, in performing biopsies to diagnose cancer.

Additional Resources and References[edit | edit source]

Oncology Resources
Wikipedia


Medicine - Specialties and subspecialties
Surgery

Cardiac surgery - Cardiothoracic surgery - Colorectal surgery - Ophthalmology - General surgery - Neurosurgery - Oral and maxillofacial surgery - Orthopedic surgery - Hand surgery - Otolaryngology - ENT - Pediatric surgery - Plastic surgery - Reproductive surgery - Surgical oncology - Transplant surgery - Trauma surgery - Urology - Andrology - Vascular surgery

Medicine Internal medicine - Allergy / Immunology - Angiology - Cardiology - Endocrinology - Gastroenterology - Hepatology - Geriatrics - Hematology - Hospital medicine - Infectious disease - Nephrology - Oncology - Pulmonology - Rheumatology
Obstetrics and gynaecology Gynaecology - Gynecologic oncology - Maternal–fetal medicine - Obstetrics - Reproductive endocrinology and infertility - Urogynecology
Diagnostic Radiology - Interventional radiology - Nuclear medicine - Pathology - Anatomical - Clinical pathology - Clinical chemistry - Cytopathology - Medical microbiology - Transfusion medicine
Other specialties Addiction medicine - Adolescent medicine - Anesthesiology - Dermatology - Disaster medicine - Diving medicine - Emergency medicine - Family medicine - General practice - Hospital medicine - Intensive care medicine - Medical genetics - Narcology - Neurology - Clinical neurophysiology - Occupational medicine - Ophthalmology - Oral medicine - Pain management - Palliative care - Pediatrics - Neonatology - Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) - Preventive medicine - Psychiatry -Addiction psychiatry - Radiation oncology - Reproductive medicine - Sexual medicine - Sleep medicine - Sports medicine - Transplantation medicine - Tropical medicine - Travel medicine - Venereology
Medical education Medical school - USMLE - Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - Bachelor of Medical Sciences - Doctor of Medicine - Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine - Alternative medicine - Allied health - Dentistry - Podiatry - Pharmacy - Physiotherapy - Molecular oncology - Nanomedicine - Personalized medicine - Public health - Rural health - Therapy - Traditional medicine - Veterinary medicine - Physician - Chief physician - History of medicine
Misc. topics Health topics A-Z - Rare diseases - Drugs - Diet - Medicine portal - First Aid - Glossary of medicine - Health insurance - Glossary of health topics - Drug classes - Medicines - Dentistry portal - Pharmacology and Medications-Medications portal - Pharmacology portal - Psychiatry portal
WikiMD
Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index‏‎ - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes

Search WikiMD

Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD

WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia

Let Food Be Thy Medicine
Medicine Thy Food - Hippocrates

Medical Disclaimer: WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. The information on WikiMD is provided as an information resource only, may be incorrect, outdated or misleading, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. WikiMD expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site. By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, which may from time to time be changed or supplemented by WikiMD. If you do not agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, you should not enter or use this site. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.

Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD