Oncology

Oncology is a medical speciality focusing on the treatment of cancer.A physician who practices oncology is an oncologist. Oncologists diagnose and prescribe a variety of treatments for cancer including medication, radiation, chemotherapy, surgery, or palliative care.     Oncology is the branch of medicine that studies tumors (cancer). A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist. The term originates from the Greek onkos (ονκος), meaning bulk, mass, or tumor and the suffix -logy, meaning "study of".

The oncologist organizes the care of cancer patients, which may involve various treatments of different disciplines such as physiotherapy, counseling, clinical genetics. Oncologists often consults with pathologists on the exact biological nature of a tumor that is being treated.
Diagnosis
    The most important diagnostic tool remains the medical history: the character of the complaints and any specific symptoms (fatigue, weight loss, unexplained anemia, fever of unknown origin, paraneoplastic phenomena and other signs). Often a physical examination will reveal the location of a malignancy.
Therapy
    It depends completely on the nature of the tumor identified what kind of therapeutical intervention will be necessary. Certain disorders will require immediate admission and chemotherapy (such as ALL or AML), while others will be followed up with regular physical examination and blood tests. A detailed discussion of treatment options according to the type of cancer is at the National Cancer Institute website with sections on adult cancers, pediatric cancers, and supportive care. There is also a section on complementary and alternative methods of treatment.