Studying and Treating Cancerous Tumors: About Radiation Oncologists

By:Art Gib

Oncology is the study of cancerous tumors, while an oncologist is a doctor that treats cancer. Though different countries and schools of medicine might divide oncologists into several different categories and specialties, in America, there are two main types of oncologists. A radiation oncologist is a doctor that specializes in radiation treatment of cancer, known as radiation therapy, or more simply, radiotherapy.

Radiation oncology does not include chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is handled by a medical oncologist.

In some countries, a clinical oncologist handles both radiation therapy as well as chemotherapy. Surgical oncology deals with the surgical treatment of tumors. Surgical oncologists are split into several specialties that focus on cancers infecting particular areas of the body.

Today, thanks to improving technology in the field of radiation oncology, about 70 percent of all cancer treatment plans include radiation therapy. Some of these involve strictly radiation treatment while some, more severe cases of cancer call for a combination of radiation and chemotherapy treatment.

Choosing a radiation oncologist

As can be expected, the more experience a doctor has in oncology the higher their success record becomes in successful treatment of their patients. Choosing a radiation oncologist then becomes a potentially vital part of your treatment. You may be literally putting your life in the hands of the doctor you choose.

In addition to experience in treating patients, training and experience with the latest technologies is also important since newer technologies are capable of providing better treatment of cancer. IMRT, for example, is a relatively new method of radiation therapy that allows for higher doses of radiation to be delivered to a tumor while sparing surrounding healthy tissue.

Some radiation oncologists don't even have access to new technologies such as IMRT. In cases where access is available, doctors may have little or no training and little or no experience.

To receive the best treatment possible, as a patient it would be beneficial to seek out a radiation oncologist that is both experienced with the latest technologies as well as practices at a facility that has access to these technologies.

Bedside manner is important as well. A person can generally tell whether they'll get along with within a few minutes of meeting them. You're under enough stress just from the discovery that you have or may have cancer. Having to put up with an oncologist you don't get along with can be detrimental to your health, especially if your relationship with your doctor is so bad that you loathe going to see him or her.

However, a radiation oncologist's ability to give you the best treatment possible may trump all else. Choose wisely.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: radiation oncologist, oncology, radiation therapy

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Vantage Oncology (http://www.vantageoncology.com/doctors.php) offers comprehensive management solutions for oncology through a national network of radiation oncologists that are experienced in the latest radiation therapy treatments and are committed to continuously raising the standard for cancer care.

Top Cancer Articles
1). Prostate Cancer, the Most Prevelant Non-Skin Cancer in the US By : Tyson J Stevenson According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, this type of cancer is the most prevalent non-skin cancer in the United States. A man is diagnosed with prostate cancer every three minutes, and one dies every seventeen minutes.
2). You Are Not Alone! By : Itzik Keidar 12 years ago, I had a Melanoma skin cancer. Melanoma is not as painful as other type of cancer but it's certainly as wicked, and it had to be removed. After the surgery, my doctor informed me that I'll probably get the same cancer in 2 years, unless I'll visit the hospital every day for the next 3 years and get Interferon injections. I remember thinking to myself.
3). Prostate Cancer - What Every Man Needs to Know By : Tyson J Stevenson Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancers in men. Prostate cancer is often found in elder men and the risk of prostate cancer increases with age. It occurs mostly among the male population of 50 years and above.
4). Mesothelioma Information By : Hans Hasselfors Mesothelioma in itself is one of the deadliest diseases ever to have been discovered by mankind. Medically, Mesothelioma as a word itself means a tumor that is more likely to transform in a fast proliferating cancer which affects the mesothelial cells of an organ, which form the protective thin covering over the organs like heart, lungs and abdomen.
5). General Aspects of Leukemia By : Groshan Fabiola Many people suffer from leukemia these days. A large number of cases of cancer are identified to be leukemia. Leukemia is a sort of cancer of the blood and marrow. The disease is characterized through the overproducing of immature blood cells (stem cells) that aren�t able to fully develop and to carry out the activities of normal blood cells. According to their functions and structure, there are three different types of cells within the normal blood: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
6). Protect Your Baby - Talc Is Extremely Dangerous By : John Morris Before using body powder on you or your baby, consider that not all body powder products are baby-safe. Body powders as well as baby powders, having talc as main ingredient may do more harm to you and your baby than good. 1...
7). Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelet: Support A Noble Cause! By : Lisa Hyde Breast cancer is a major health threat to women around the world. The number of women affected by breast cancer is shooting up every year. The sad thing is early diagnosis and treatment can lead to an almost 100 per cent cure rate among those affected by this illness. Often the problem is not the unavailability of treatment for breast cancer, but late diagnosis.
8). Ovarian Cancer, Tea, and An Ounce Of Prevention By : Rebecca Prescott Dr Christiane Northrup has some interesting insights into the emotional and energetic issues associated with ovarian cancer. Whilst it is impossible to generalize emotional and energetic responses, she highlights the issue of rage in ovarian cancers. She describes the ovaries as being 'female balls' which means they relate to an active participation in the world in a way that expresses our unique creative potential, as women, on an individual basis.
9). Breast Cancer Treatment: Coping With A Mastectomy By : Melissa Buhmeyer As women, especially American women, much of our femininity is centered on our breasts. No matter where you look, there are pictures, billboards, commercials, television shows, and movies with women with these beautiful breasts and ample cleavage. The thought of losing one or both breasts, to breast cancer, can be devastating for many of us. Sure, there's.
10). The Causes of Prostate Cancer By : James Hunt What is the prostate? Where is it located? What does it do...

New Cancer Articles
1). Breast Cancer Treatment - Exploring The Two Most Popular Alternatives By : Brooke Hayles Cancer treatments are getting more advanced all the time. Breast cancer is second only to heart disease as the leading killer of adult aged women, with 1.2 million new cases each year. Breast cancer treatment has more options the earlier you catch it.
2). Breast Cancer - What Everyone Should Know By : Brooke Hayles Although research into breast cancer prevention is an ongoing process, there have been a number of breakthroughs recently. The National Cancer Institute has tested a number of drugs that could potentially prevent the disease altogether.
3). Find A Cure For Colon Cancer By : Joann Cheong Symptoms of colon cancer are numerous and non-specific. They include fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, change in bowel habits, narrow stools, diarrhea or constipation, red or dark blood in stool, weight loss, abdominal pain, cramps, or bloating...
4). What You Should Know About Your Prostate By : Lee Dobbins Find out about the prostate gland and some of the problems associated with it.
5). Chronic Prostatitis and Autoimmunity By : Trevor Mulholland Chronic prostatitis can be categorized either as chronic bacterial or chronic pelvic pain syndrome, also known as pelvic myoneuropathy. Aside from these two types, prostatitis can also be classified as acute or asymptomatic inflammatory.
6). What Do We Know About Pancreatic Cancer By : Joann Cheong In the United States, cancer of the pancreas is diagnosed in more than twenty nine thousand people every year...
7). Cancer And Exercise By : Tracie Johanson Although our medical system has made tremendous advances in the last few decades the grand prize of them all, the holy grail of medical science - a cancer cure - continues to elude researchers.
8). How Far Has Science Come in Understanding the Causes of Prostate Cancer? By : Trevor Mulholland The causes of prostate cancer, or any other type of cancer for that matter, have remained a mystery to those who are studying the disease.
9). Prostate Cancer - Are Men Their Own Worst Enemy? By : Donald Saunders The commonest form of cancer in the United States today is skin cancer but, to many people's surprise, prostate cancer is the second most frequently seen type of cancer and results in some 30,000 deaths each year. So just what is prostate cancer? The human body starts its life as a single cell which divides repeatedly to form new cells. As cell division continues so the newly created cells, acting as the building blocks of the human body, form themselves into walls of tissue creating the various parts that we recognize as the human body.
10). Understanding and Recognizing Leukemia Symptoms By : Groshan Fabiola Leukemia is a sort of cancer of the blood and marrow. The disease is characterized through the overproducing of immature blood cells (stem cells) that aren�t able to fully develop and carry out the activities of normal blood cells. Each type of mature blood cells has specific traits and roles inside the body. White blood cells or leukocytes have an important role in the immune system, contributing to overcome infections.

� 2006 articles2k.com - Privacy Policy