Oncology is a sub-specialty of medicine dedicated to the investigation, diagnosis and treatment of people with cancer or suspected cancer.
Hematologist-oncologists treat blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Neuro-oncologists treat cancers of the brain, spine, and nervous system. Pediatric oncologists treat cancer in children and teens. Some types of cancer occur most often in these younger age groups.
Generally speaking, you might see an oncologist if you talk to your primary care physician about a change in your body and they recommend you have some preliminary tests. You likely will be referred to an oncologist if your tests indicate you have cancer.
In 2014, Ezekiel Emanuel—a health policy expert, medical ethicist, and oncologist—wrote an infamous article in The Atlantic called "Why I Hope to Die at 75." Now, just 10 years from his 75th birthday, Emanuel speaks with The Times' Helen Rumbelow to explain why he will likely maintain his position to stop accepting all ...
In some cases, oncologists fail to tell patients how long they have to live. In others, patients are clearly told their prognosis, but are too overwhelmed to absorb the information.
Skin changes such as a rash, dimpled skin or skin reddening. Changes to your nipples such as dryness, leaking or inverted nipples. Pain, swelling or any changes to your breast. Blood in your poo or wee.
Upon hearing a diagnosis of cancer, the patient is faced with a multitude of issues. In addition to the medical and logistic details described previously, major concerns include fear of death, disfigurement, pain, disability, infertility, dependency, abandonment, altered relationships, and financial hardship.
Your oncologist plays an important role in your overall wellness. This medical professional can identify whether you have a tumor and diagnose if it is benign or malignant. If it is malignant, it has cancer and poses risks to your health.
Complications such as jaundice, sepsis or occlusion, often observed during the evolution of digestive cancers, are important reasons for discontinuation and could explain our shorter time from chemotherapy discontinuation to death, compared to other oncology subspecialties.
At the first appointment, the oncologist will talk about treatment options. The doctor will explain which ones are available, how effective they are and what the side effects may be. Then the oncologist will recommend a course and talk about when the treatments should take place.
“Thank you for being the dedicated, thoughtful, and compassionate doctor that you are! You always go above and beyond and work tirelessly towards a healthy outcome. I feel so blessed to know you and have you as my doctor.”
A branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Oncologists are primary palliative care providers who are responsible for maximizing patient QOL by requesting palliative medicine consultations at the most beneficial time in the cancer trajectory to avoid and relieve patient distress.
The most common type of cancer on the list is breast cancer, with 300,590 new cases expected in the United States in 2023. The next most common cancers are prostate cancer and lung cancer.
Lipomas: Lipomas are formed by fat cells. They are the most common type of benign tumor.
MRI is very good at zeroing in on some kinds of cancers. By looking at your body with MRI, doctors may be able to see if a tumor is benign or cancerous. According to the World Health Organization, survival rates for many types of cancer are significantly higher with early detection.
Based on the heterogeneity of stiffness between different tumor tissues, ultrasound elastography can distinguish between benign and malignant tumors by detecting the modulus of elasticity (10).
Around the third day following a chemotherapy treatment, some people may experience flu-like symptoms such as muscle aches and pains. If you experience these aches, you can take over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol or Advil. If necessary, contact your doctor for stronger medication.
Dr. Holly Prigerson Treating terminally ill cancer patients with chemotherapy in the months or weeks before their deaths was not found to improve patients' quality of life and may actually do more harm than good, according to a new study led by Weill Cornell Medical College investigators.
Late effects are problems caused by cancer treatment that may not show up for months or years after treatment. These problems are specific to certain types of treatments and the dose received. Like side effects that you may have during treatment, late effects differ greatly from person to person.
Neutropenic fever (NF) is one of the most well-known oncologic emergencies. Up to 80% of patients receiving chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies will develop NF at least once during the course of therapy.
Some of the most common side effects of cancer and its treatment include pain and fatigue, anemia, mouth problems, nausea/weight change/dietary issues, and hair, skin and nail problems.