What Is Clinical Oncology?
While cancer research over the last decade has allowed doctors to find ways to help people beat cancer, it is still one of the hardest diseases to deal with, both mentally and physically. The type of doctor that a person has when they have cancer is an oncologist. There are a number of different types of oncology, but every doctor has to be able to help a patient through their cancer physically and emotionally.
The Different Types of Oncology
There are a few different types of oncology, and each specialty has treats different types and stages of cancer. The first type of oncologist is a medical oncologist. They specialize in the diagnoses and treatment of cancer. They are the experts in evaluating your test results to determine if you have cancer. Surgical oncologist have the same basic training, but they also help in treating certain cancers that require surgical procedures. Radiation oncologists specialize in treating cancer through the use of radiation therapy.
What is Clinical Oncology
The basics of clinical oncology includes diagnosing a patient with cancer, cancer treatment therapy and any follow-ups with the patient once their treatment is complete. Each step takes careful planning and care to ensure that each patient receives the best care possible.
Diagnoses
Clinical oncology starts with diagnosing a patient. There are several ways that a patient can be diagnosed, but the most common way is by doing a biopsy of the area and sending it in to be tested by for signs of cancer.
Treatment Therapy
This step involves a number of procedures depending on the cancer. The most common treatment therapies are chemotherapy, radiation therapy and drug therapy. Each treatment has its own time frame for completion and side affects are different for each person.
Follow-Up
These are usually routine medical checkups every few weeks or months to ensure everything is going good. The Oncologist will check for any signs of cancer as well as make sure the patient is healing fine after the treatments.