🔅 ONCOLOGY

– Oncology is the branch of medicine that deals with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer.

– Cancer is a group of diseases that involve the abnormal growth and spread of cells that can damage or destroy normal tissues and organs.

– The origin of oncology can be traced back to ancient times, when people observed and described tumors and cancers in various parts of the body. The earliest known descriptions of cancer were found in Egyptian papyri dating back to 1600 BC, such as the Edwin Smith Papyrus and the Ebers Papyrus.

– The term "oncology" comes from the Greek word "onkos", meaning "tumor" or "mass".

– The first person to use the term "oncology" was Galen, a Greek physician and philosopher who lived in the 2nd century AD. He classified tumors into four types: carcinomas, sarcomas, leucocythemia, and melanosis.

– An oncologist is a doctor who specializes in treating cancer and providing medical care for people diagnosed with cancer.

– There are different types of oncologists who focus on different aspects of cancer care, such as:

🔅 Medical Oncologists

– They treat cancer using medications, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, or hormone therapy.

– They also coordinate the overall care of cancer patients and manage their symptoms and side effects.

🔅 Radiation Oncologists

– They treat cancer using radiation therapy, which is the use of high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancer cells or shrink tumors.

– They also plan and monitor the radiation dose and schedule for each patient.

🔅 Surgical Oncologists

– They treat cancer using surgery, which involves removing tumors and nearby tissues during an operation.

– They also perform biopsies to help diagnose cancer and determine its stage.

🔅 Hematologist Oncologists

– They treat cancers that affect the blood or bone marrow, such as leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma.

– They also perform bone marrow transplants or stem cell transplants to replace damaged or diseased blood cells.

🔅 Gynecologic Oncologists

– They treat cancers that affect the female reproductive organs, such as the cervix, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina, or vulva.

– They also perform surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or hormonal therapy to treat these cancers.

🔅 Pediatric Oncologists

– They treat cancers that occur in children and adolescents, such as neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, osteosarcoma, or Ewing sarcoma.

– They also provide supportive care and counseling for young patients and their families.

🔅 Neuro-oncologists

– They treat cancers that affect the brain, spinal cord, or nervous system, such as gliomas, meningiomas, or acoustic neuromas.

– They also manage neurological complications caused by cancer or its treatment.

Procedures involved in oncology

The specific procedures involved in oncology depend on the _type and stage of cancer, the goals of treatment, and the preferences of each patient.

– Some of the common procedures are:

🔅 Biopsy

– This is a procedure where a small sample of tissue is taken from a suspicious area and examined under a microscope to check for cancer cells.

– A biopsy can be done using a needle, a scalpel, an endoscope (a thin tube with a light and camera), or a laparoscope (a similar device used for abdominal surgery).

– A biopsy can help diagnose cancer and determine its type and grade (how abnormal the cells look).

🔅 Staging

– This is a process where tests are done to find out how far cancer has spread within the body. Staging can help plan treatment and predict prognosis (chance of recovery).

– Some of the tests used for staging are blood tests (to measure tumor markers or other substances), imaging tests (such as X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, ultrasound, or PET scans), or surgical procedures (such as lymph node biopsy or sentinel node biopsy).

– Staging can be based on different systems, such as TNM (tumor, node, metastasis) or AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer).

🔅 Surgery

–This is a procedure where an incision is made in the skin and a surgeon removes all or part of a tumor along with some surrounding normal tissue.

– Surgery can be done to cure cancer (if it has not spread), reduce its size (to make other treatments more effective), relieve symptoms (such as pain or bleeding), or prevent complications (such as obstruction or infection).

– Surgery can be done using different techniques, such as open surgery (where a large cut is made), laparoscopic surgery (where several small cuts are made), robotic surgery (where a surgeon controls a robotic arm), or laser surgery (where a beam of light is used).

🔅 Chemotherapy

– This is a treatment where drugs are used to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing or dividing.

– Chemotherapy can be given orally (by mouth), intravenously (through a vein), intramuscularly (into a muscle), subcutaneously (under the skin), intrathecally (into the spinal fluid), or intra-arterially (into an artery).

– Chemotherapy can be given as a single drug or a combination of drugs, and it can be given in cycles (with periods of rest in between).

– Chemotherapy can be used to cure cancer (if it has not spread), shrink tumors (before or after surgery or radiation therapy),prevent recurrence (after surgery or radiation therapy), or control symptoms (such as pain or bleeding).

🔅 Radiation therapy

– This is a treatment where high-energy rays or particles are used to damage the DNA of cancer cells and stop them from growing or dividing.

– Radiation therapy can be delivered externally (from a machine outside the body) or internally (from a radioactive source inside the body).

– Radiation therapy can be given as a single dose or multiple doses, and it can be given alone or in combination with other treatments.

– Radiation therapy can be used to cure cancer (if it has not spread), shrink tumors (before or after surgery or chemotherapy), prevent recurrence (after surgery or chemotherapy), or control symptoms (such as pain or bleeding).

🔅 Immunotherapy

– This is a treatment where substances that stimulate the immune system are used to fight cancer.

– Immunotherapy can be given as vaccines, antibodies, cytokines, checkpoint inhibitors, CAR T cells, or other agents.

– Immunotherapy can be given intravenously, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, intratumorally, or intravesical.

– Immunotherapy can be used to cure cancer (if it has not spread), shrink tumors (alone or with other treatments), prevent recurrence (after other treatments), or control symptoms (such as pain or bleeding).

🔅 Targeted therapy

– This is a treatment where drugs that target specific molecules involved in cancer growth and survival are used to block their action.

– Targeted therapy can be given orally, intravenously, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, intrathecally, or intra-arterially.

– Targeted therapy can be used to cure cancer (if it has not spread), shrink tumors (alone or with other treatments), prevent recurrence (after other treatments), or control symptoms (such as pain or bleeding).

🔅 Hormone therapy

– This is a treatment where drugs that interfere with the production or action of hormones that stimulate cancer growth are used to slow down or stop the cancer.

– Hormone therapy can be given orally, intravenously, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, intrauterine, transdermal, or surgical.

– Hormone therapy can be used to cure cancer (if it has not spread), shrink tumors (alone or with other treatments), prevent recurrence (after other treatments), or control symptoms (such as pain or bleeding).