Research Assessment #1

Date: ​September 13, 2019

Subject: ​Oncology

MLA Citation:

“Types of Oncologists.” ​Cancer.Net​, 7 Jan. 2019,

https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/cancer-basics/cancer-care-team/types-onc

ologists.

Assessment:

Often people tend to forget that since oncology deals with cancers in all different locations of the

body that there are multiple types of oncologists. Through my research of the article entitled “Types of

Oncologists” written and approved by the team at Cancer.net, I have learned that there are various types

of oncologists that treat cancers in different areas of the body. This is a direct result of the fact that tumors

located in different parts of the body require different techniques in an attempt to remove them. It is much

easier for an oncologist to treat and remove cancerous tumors of a specific part of the body as opposed to

treating cancerous tumors in all parts of the body. In this way, an oncologist can focus on becoming well

trained and successful at removing tumors from one part of the body using a particular method such as

surgery, and if they come across a patient who has a tumor located in another part of the body, they can

refer them to an oncologist who specializes in removing tumors from that specific part of the body with

another method such as chemotherapy. This can also help to reduce errors as an oncologist is specifically

trained on how to remove tumors from one part of the body with a specific method as opposed to trying to

remember how to treat every type of cancerous tumors in different parts of the body using every method

of treatment known to man.

 The article begins with the three types of oncologists working in the major treatment areas of

oncology. The first type of oncologist mentioned in the article is a medical oncologist, which is the type

of oncologist I aspire to become in the future. From this article, I was able to learn that a medical

oncologist treats all types of tumors using only medicinal methods of removal such as chemotherapy or

immunotherapy. I found this information encouraging as it means that I will only have to treat cancer

using medicinal means as opposed to surgery. The information is also slightly discouraging in the fact that

I have to know how to treat tumors located in all parts of the body such as in the bone marrow or the

brain. That means that my future will contain extensive studying in anatomy and physiology so I can

understand how to go about properly treating tumors located in different parts of the body as dictated by

the way that the specific body part is designed anatomically and physiologically. The next type of

oncologist I learned about from this article is a surgical oncologist, who treats tumors using surgical

methods. This information further pushed me into not wanting to become a surgical oncologist because at

this current moment I have no ambition to be a surgeon, so I know that this type of oncologist is not for

me. The last type of major oncologists mentioned is a radiation oncologist who treats patients using

radiation. From the information I learned in the article about who a radiation oncologist is, I have become

more interested in looking into this field of oncology, and if I am unable to find a medical oncologist to

mentor under, a radiation oncologist would be a suitable back-up plan for me because I have become

more interested in this field from my research.

The article then goes on to discuss oncologists who are in more specific fields of oncology as

opposed to the more broad categories of surgery, medicine, and radiation. The first type of specialized

oncologists I learned from this article was a gynecologic oncologist, who treats tumors in the uterus,

ovaries, and cervix. Since I have no particular interest in working with this area of the body, this article

helped to reinforce my disinterest in pursuing a career in gynecological oncology. The next type of

specialized oncologists mentioned in the article is a pediatric oncologist, who deals with treating tumors
and cancers located in all parts of the body in specifically only children and teenagers. As I read about

what a pediatric oncologist does in this article, I was able to deduce that in the future I have no intention

of becoming a pediatric oncologist mainly stemming from the fact that I dislike working with young

children. The last type of specialized oncologist I learned about was a hematologic oncologist, which is an

oncologist who treats cancers of the blood. From what I learned in the article about who a hematologic

oncologist is, I was able to conclude that if I find out that medical oncology is not for me, this type of

oncology is another suitable back-up plan because this type of oncology does interest me as a possible

career for the future.

The article concluded with informing me more about what exactly every type of oncologist

generally does and who is part of the team that treats a cancer patient along with an oncologist. From

what I learned every oncologist starting at diagnosis is responsible for keeping the patient informed at

each step of their journey about everything, delivering quality care, and helping their patients cope with

the side-effects of their treatment. This information is useful to me as it informed me of what I must due

when a become an oncologist, regardless of what type of oncologist I become, in the future. The final

piece of information I learned from this article is that an oncologist usually works in collaboration with a

pathologist who reads the laboratory tests, a diagnostic radiologist who uses imagery to help an oncologist

diagnose and detect tumors, an oncology nurse who helps monitor the patient, and an oncology social

worker in the event that the worst has come to pass. The team can include more or fewer doctors and

nurses depending on the type and location of the cancerous tumor. Upon learning this information I was

better able to gauge what other medical professionals I will be working with in the future.

All of the information I learned from reading this article is vital to me as it gave me the

opportunity to learn about the different types of oncologists, so that in the event that I discover that being

a medical oncologist in the future is not for me that there are other choices for me in the future that I can

choose to follow a career in instead and still work in oncology. Another important piece of information I
learned from this article are the types of oncology that I have no interest in partaking in. This information

is also important because it provided me with the information I need to apply to myself in the future to

become a great oncologist, regardless of what type of oncologist I will become, along with whom I will

work with. I will utilize the information of the different types of oncologists that I discovered that I was

also interested in besides medical oncology in the future on my ISM journey as it will provide possible

alternatives to mentors if I am unable to find a medical oncologist to work under in the future. All in all,

this article provided me useful information about the different types of oncologists, and I was able to

deduce what types of oncologists I was and was not interested in becoming. I also was able to discern

possible back-up plans if medical oncology does not work out for me. Finally, I was able to gain more

information about what type of person I have to be in the future to become an oncologist and whom I will

have to work with. All of this information will be useful in the future as I begin my journey to becoming

an oncologist, whether that be a medical oncologist or not.

Article: *​All annotations are bold and italicized.*

Types of Oncologists

Approved by the ​Cancer.Net Editorial Board​, 03/2018

Oncology is the study of cancer. An oncologist is a doctor who treats cancer and

provides medical care for a person diagnosed with cancer.

The field of oncology has three major areas: medical, surgical, and radiation.

● A ​medical oncologist​ treats cancer using ​chemotherapy​ or other

medications, such as ​targeted therapy​or ​immunotherapy​.

The definition of the type of oncology that I am interested in.

● A ​surgical oncologist​ removes the tumor and nearby tissue during

surgery. He or she also performs certain types of ​biopsies​ to help

diagnose cancer.

● A ​radiation oncologist​ treats cancer using ​radiation therapy​.

A possible alternative for me to medical oncology.

Other types of oncologists include:

● A ​gynecologic oncologist​ treats gynecologic cancers, such as uterine,

ovarian, and cervical cancers.

● A ​pediatric oncologist​ treats cancer in children. Some types of cancer

occur most often in children and teenagers. This includes certain brain

tumors, leukemia, osteosarcoma, and Ewing’s sarcoma. Types of cancer

 more common in children sometimes also occur in adults. In these

situations, an adult may decide to work with a pediatric oncologist.

● A ​hematologist-oncologist​ diagnoses and treats blood cancers, such as

leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

This type of oncology interests me and I am interested in having this as an

alternative to medical oncology in cause it does not work out.

The role of the oncologist

An oncologist manages a patient’s care throughout the course of the disease. This

starts with the diagnosis. His or her role includes:

● Explaining the cancer diagnosis and ​stage

● Talking about all treatment options and his or her preferred choice

● Delivering quality and compassionate care

● Helping a patient manage the symptoms and side effects of cancer and

cancer treatment.

Qualities I need to have in the future in order to become a great oncologist.

Different types of doctors often work together to create a patient’s overall treatment plan

that combines different types of treatments. For instance, a patient may need treatment

with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. This is called a

multidisciplinary team​.

Cancer care teams also include a variety of other health care professionals:

● A ​pathologist​ reads laboratory tests. This includes checking cells,

tissues, and organs to diagnose disease

● A ​diagnostic radiologist​ conducts imaging tests to diagnose disease.

This includes x-rays or ultrasound tests.

● An ​oncology nurse

● An ​oncology social worker

The team may also involve doctors from other areas of medicine. For instance, a

dermatologist who specializes in skin problems may also help treat skin cancer.

The team I can expect to work with in the future as an oncologist.

Sometimes a person’s cancer diagnosis is complex. In this case, the patient’s

oncologist may ask a ​tumor board​ to review the case. This involves medical experts

from all areas of cancer care who come together to decide on the best treatment plan.