Clinical oncologist
National Institute of Oncology (NIO), Gliwice — Head of the Day Chemotherapy Ward
Dr Wiesław Bal, MD, PhD
Clinical oncologist. Private appointments, no referral needed.
What does a clinical oncologist do?
A clinical oncologist (formerly known as a chemotherapist) is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with cancer, as well as monitoring their health after treatment. They assess patients for systemic treatment: chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy and immunotherapy.
When choosing a treatment regimen, they work closely with the surgical oncologist and the radiation oncologist. The right place to decide on a treatment strategy is a multidisciplinary tumour board. In many centres these meetings take place without the patient — we prefer the traditional approach: talking to the patient, carrying out a physical examination, presenting the treatment options, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each regimen, and only then agreeing on a specific treatment together.