Oncologists

Cardiology

This article is about the medical specialty. For the album, see Cardiology (album). For the medical journal, see Cardiology (journal).

Cardiology Blood flow diagram of the human heart. Blue components indicate de-oxygenated blood pathways and red components indicate oxygenated blood pathways.

System Cardiovascular Subdivisions Interventional, Nuclear

Significant diseases Heart disease, Cardiovascular disease, Atherosclerosis, Cardiomyopathy, Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Significant tests Blood tests, electrophysiology study, cardiac imaging, ECG, echocardiograms, stress test

Specialist Cardiologist Glossary Glossary of medicine Cardiologist

Occupation

Names

Physician
Surgeon

Oncologists

Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist.

Oncologists are doctors who diagnose and treat cancer. They often act as the main healthcare provider for someone with cancer—designing treatment plans, offering supportive care, and sometimes coordinating treatment with other specialists.

What Does an Oncologist Do?

Oncology is the study of cancer. Oncologists specialize in managing and treating patients throughout the course of the disease, which involves:

Confirming a patient’s initial diagnosis
Explaining the cancer diagnosis and stage
Providing all possible treatment plans and offering recommendations
Overseeing the course of treatment
Helping patients manage symptoms and side effects of both the disease and the treatment plan

Their work isn’t limited to cancer treatment, however. Many oncologists are board-certified to practice hematology as well, treating patients with blood conditions including:

Anemia, a condition that results from a shortage of red blood cells
Sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that can affect circulation
Different types of thrombosis, which occur when blood clots block blood vessels
Oncologists typically have a specialty within the field, so they often expand a patient’s team to include the right doctors for a chosen treatment plan.

Types of oncologists include:

Medical oncologists who treat cancer with chemotherapy or immunotherapy
Surgical oncologists who remove tumors in surgery
Radiation oncologists who treat cancer with radiation therapy
Other oncology specialists focus on treating cancer in specific areas of the body. For example, gynecologic oncologists treat uterine, ovarian, and cervical cancers, while a hematologist-oncologist focuses on blood cancers. There are also pediatric oncologists who specialize in cancers common in children and teenagers.