Oncology

Oncology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with ontology, ontogeny, or odontology.
See cancer for the biology of the disease, as well as a list of malignant diseases.
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Oncology Tumor Mesothelioma2 legend.jpg
A coronal CT scan showing a malignant mesothelioma, indicated by the asterisk and the arrows
Focus     Cancerous tumor
Subdivisions     Medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology
Significant tests     Tumor markers, TNM staging, CT scans, MRI
Specialist     Oncologist

Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with tumors. A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (ónkos), meaning "tumor", "volume" or "mass".

Oncology is concerned with:

    The diagnosis of any cancer in a person (pathology)
    Therapy (e.g. surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other modalities)
    Follow-up of cancer patients after successful treatment
    Palliative care of patients with terminal malignancies
    Ethical questions surrounding cancer care
    Screening efforts:
        of populations, or
        of the relatives of patients (in types of cancer that are thought to have a hereditary basis, such as breast cancer)