Oncology (from the Ancient Greek onkos (ὄγκος), meaning bulk, mass, or tumor, and the suffix -logy (-λογία), meaning "study of") is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist.

Oncology is concerned with:

The diagnosis of any cancer in a person
Therapy (e.g. surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other modalities)
Follow-up of cancer patients after successful treatment
Palliative care of patients with terminal malignancies
Ethical questions surrounding cancer care
Screening efforts:

of populations, or
of the relatives of patients (in types of cancer that are thought to have a hereditary basis, such as breast cancer)

VIDEO: Breast cancer symposium take-home messages, Day 1

SAN FRANCISCO – Dr. Eleftherios (Terry) Mamounas reviews the first day of the annual breast cancer symposium sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Key sessions covered the...

Field of Interest: Oncology
Type: News Item

Prediabetes increases cancer risk by 15%

Prediabetes increases cancer risk in adults by 15%, with significantly increased risk for cancer of the stomach, liver, pancreas, breast, and endometrium, in a meta-analysis published Sept. 8 in...

Field of Interest: Oncology
Type: News Item

FDA advisers want more data on sunscreen safety

SILVER SPRING, MD. – The widespread and long-term use of sunscreens demands that manufacturers provide more long-term safety data and information on how the active ingredients affect the health of...

Field of Interest: Oncology
Type: News Item

Open surgery for 34% of inpatient breast biopsies

Open breast biopsy accounted for 34% of breast biopsies in 25,965 U.S. inpatients between 2008 and 2010, a retrospective study found. The finding suggests that minimally invasive breast biopsy...

Field of Interest: Oncology
Type: News Item

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