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Oncology is the branch of medicine that deals with the study and treatment of tumors. Unfortunately, the exact causes of a tumor are unknown. While doctors and scientists have identified a relationship between tumors and various exposures to radiation and the presence of cancerous cells, the exact specifics as to why cells form a tumor is unknown.

Cells look and behave differently depending on their function in the body. Some will become muscles, some will reinforce the skin, and etc. This means that a cell knows what to do, where to go, and how many times to divide in order to perform its function, along with all the other nearby cells doing the same thing. But for some reason still unknown to us, cells can begin to divide and keep dividing, creating harmful effects within the body. This creates large masses of cells, called tumors, that grow until they harm the body around them and need to be removed in order for the patient to survive.

Tumors are especially dangerous in the brain, where the tumor is surrounded by extremely important and sensitive tissue, and where surgery may be impossible to perform without killing the patient. The news of a brain tumor will undoubtedly be harrowing, as there is little chance of survival. To cope with this problem, you can consult a Baltimore brain injury attorney to help garner restitution. Since the exact reason tumors form is unknown, strong correlations can be made such as exposure to radiation or unsafe materials, a common problem with businesses that don’t protect their workers or make unsafe products. Either way, should you discover that you have tumor or a consistent head pain, you should work to immediately deal with the tumor before it grows further.

The term oncology comes from an Ancient Greek term, onkos, that means tumor, bulk or mass. Add “ology” to the end of that, which means study of, and you have a term defined as the study of tumors. Doctors who study tumors are called oncologists, and they deal most often with patients diagnosed with cancer.

The field of oncology has several different facets. While they can’t help patients with tasks like pet insurance, oncologists do serve many roles. They need to know more than how to find tumors, they also need to know how to treat tumors and possibly even prevent cancer in the first place.

Diagnosis

A medical history, description of symptoms and a physical exam can help oncologists find the source of the mass. Then, doctors can use various imaging equipment to study the mass further. A biopsy will confirm whether or not the mass is cancer. Imaging studies, such as a CT scan, not only help oncologists determine the size and shape of the mass; it also helps them determine whether or not surgery will successfully remove the entire mass if necessary.

Therapy

The type of therapy an oncologist will recommend for a patient depends entirely on the location of the tumor and the type of cancer the patient has. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the most commonly used procedures.

Follow-Up Care

When treatment is successful, cancer patients will require extensive follow up visits to make sure that the cancer is indeed gone. Patients can expect to sit through additional testing at regular intervals, all under the direction of the oncologist.

For patients with terminal malignancies, oncologists will provide palliative care, which helps relieve the symptoms and the pain associated with the disease itself and with cancer treatment.

Screening

Preventing cancer is a priority for oncologists, so they regularly encourage screening, especially if you have a relative diagnosed with cancer.

The field of oncology deals with diagnosing various forms of cancer and then working to treat them with surgery, drugs, therapy, or a combination of these methods. The oncology department of a hospital includes many different professions, all working together to help cancer patients.

If you are interested in careers in oncology, some of them include:

Oncologists

Oncologists are physicians who specialize in cancer. They are categorized into specialties:

• Medical oncologist: This type of doctor focuses on cancer treatments with specific cancer fighting drugs, as well as chemotherapy.
• Surgical oncologist: As the name implies, this specialty works with the surgical removal of cancers, including tumors and mastectomies.
• Radiation oncologist: This doctor focuses on killing cancer cells with large amounts of radiation.
• Pediatric oncologist: This field focuses on cancer diagnosis and treatment for children.

Radiation Therapist

These work closely with the doctors to help with administering the actual radiation treatment. They also work to help find the location of the tumor through x-rays and CT scans.

Registered Nurse

An RN can choose to specialize in different fields. If you are interested in nursing as well as oncology, this could be a good route for you.

Hospice Care

Hospice workers help patients in the final stages of the disease, as well as patient’s family members, and work to ensure that the patient’s final days are comfortable and peaceful.

Education for Oncology Careers

Regardless of which field you decide to go into, education for oncology careers tends to be long and costly. Oncologists spend the most time in school, with four years of undergraduate school, four years of medical school, and a residency in oncology of four to five years.

There are many different ways you can pay for your education, from grants and scholarships, to loans, to a prepaid credit card.