Cancer is one of the diseases that have the greatest impact on society. Since a patient receives this diagnosis, their life changes in all aspects: physically, socially, personally, and psychologically. Beyond feeling fear or anxiety, it is important to know what oncology is and how care is approached for said pathology.
What is oncology?
It is the set of specialties focused on the treatment of cancer. It is the medical specialty that evaluates cancerous tumors; either solid or not, localized or spread.
What is clinical oncology?
The definition of medical or clinical oncology is that it typically treats cancer with systemic therapies, including chemotherapy, target therapies, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy.
After receiving the diagnosis, the oncologist is in charge of advising the patient on the best route and treatment to follow depending on the type of cancer they have.
What are the oncology subspecialties?
There is an oncology subspecialty known as radiation oncology. If you wonder what oncology studies, this branch consists of the treatment of cancer with ionizing radiation and can also include benign specialties.
On the other hand, there is oncological surgery that brings together general surgeons. These health professionals can apply a treatment with specialized surgical techniques directed at oncology.
Oncology is a field that encompasses all medical specialties but focuses on cancer. Thanks to this interdisciplinary nature, not only oncology experts are involved, but they also work together with other professionals, such as biologists, cell specialists, pathologists, surgical biologists, radiologists, and radiation oncologists.
What are the main characteristics of clinical oncology?
According to Dr. Dolores de la Mata Moya, oncologist at ABC Medical Center, cancer treatment through clinical oncology involves comprehensive patient management involving different specialists.
“In our medical center we have multidisciplinary teams that focus on different treatments for this pathology”, says the specialist.
In some health centers, there may be medical oncologists with a certain subspecialty thanks to technological advances, but oriented to the treatment of cancer: such as breast cancer, lung cancer, among others.
ABC Medical Center’s responsibility
Cancer care at ABC Medical Center stands out thanks to the comprehensive management of the patient from the moment they arrive at their doctor’s appointment until they receive a diagnosis from any specialist, be it a gastroenterologist, a surgeon, or a breast specialist. However, if there is a suspicion of cancer, the treatment can be performed within the same institution.
“At the medical center we have specific state-of-the-art technology for molecular diagnosis and for radiological diagnosis with international accreditations such as the Accreditations of the American College of Radiology (ACR) in mammogram and MRI”, explains Dr. de la Mata Moya.
In addition, ABC Medical Center is also characterized by the comprehensive care of qualified doctors, whether for the application of target therapies, to provide access to molecular and genetic analysis, as well as access to the latest generation radiation therapy, pioneer in Latin America.
At ABC Medical Center’s Cancer Center, we can answer all your questions about what oncology is and many other medical issues. Contact us!
Fuentes:
Mayo Clinic | CCM Salud
