Who’s who in oncology?
Which oncologist should you book a visit with?
We often don’t know which specialist we should book a visit with. In a few plain words, I will outline each of the oncology specialties. Patients with cancer are treated mainly by: the surgical oncologist, the radiation oncologist and the clinical oncologist. I will write about other specialists involved in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients in my next post.
What the specialists have in common
The oncology specialties share common areas of work, and I will start with these.
Every oncologist deals with:
1. Diagnosing patients with suspected cancer.
2. Once cancer has been diagnosed, carrying out tests to determine its stage.
3. Supportive care, e.g. pain management and nutritional support, before and during cancer treatment.
4. Preparing the patient for the multidisciplinary tumour board.
5. Providing treatment within their own area of competence – more on this below.
6. Follow-up after cancer treatment.
So points 1–4 and 6 are common to all oncologists. An oncologist does not always choose to run a broad clinical practice, and may choose the scope of work that suits them best.
In principle, every oncology specialist (surgical oncologist, radiation oncologist or clinical oncologist) should guide the patient through the diagnostic process up to the multidisciplinary tumour board.
At the tumour board, three specialists (surgical oncologist, radiation oncologist and clinical oncologist) decide which treatment to offer the cancer patient.
Read more on onko24.pl - a compendium of knowledge about oncologists.
Read more on the oncology blog (in Polish).
If you need help, book a visit at the Radiation Oncology Clinic: Book a visit