subject: Oncology And Methods Of Diagnosis [print this page] Cancer refers to the uncontrolled development of cells within an organ. Oncology refers to the study of cancer and its treatment. The word oncology has originated from the word onkos ' which refers to tumor, bulk or mass. Oncologists are professionals who study or practice in the field of oncology. These medical specialists deal in the management of patients with malignant diseases.
Oncologists can be of three types which include surgical (surgeons), clinical experts (related to radiotherapy) and medical (related drug treatments). It is considered as one of the fastest growing medical disciplines with active research going on mostly in United States and in other developed countries.
Oncology is also referred as the science of cancer and its treatment or a specialty dealing with malignancy. Oncology includes the study of tumor development, its diagnosis via treatments available. It also deals with the prevention procedure.
Oncology is often divided into 3 categories
Therapeutic Oncology
Surgical Oncology
Radiational Oncology.
Diagnosis is an important step during the procedure of treatment. Oncologists have stressed the importance of early diagnosis on the basis of symptoms. Diagnosis reveals malignancy via a physical examination. Symptoms like fatigue, loss of weight, loss of appetite, anemia and many other signs lead to a proper diagnosis. The symptoms and its extent are also taken into consideration while choosing a proper method for diagnosis.
There are many methods used in the process of diagnosis and some are mentioned below.
X-rays, ultrasound, CT scanning and other radiological methods
Incisional or excisional biopsy
Methods of endoscopy including upper and lower gastrointestinal, nasendoscopy and bronchoscopy
Scintigraphy and some methods of tomography
CT scan method is mostly used to check and confirm the extent of operability.
Along with diagnosis of cancerous growth in the concerned individual, oncology also covers various kinds of therapies like chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery when required. In case of successful treatment of cancer, oncology also includes follow-up of these patients. Palliative care of patients who suffer from terminal malignancies is also a part of oncology.
General awareness of this field is less but encouraging considering the recent developments in this field. Oncology and its study is a part of many academic journals, medical magazines and its research is growing with the advent of oncologic' which is a computer based software program intended to calculate the potential of a chemical causing cancer. SAR analysis is used in this research.
