Oncologist

An oncologist is someone who works on cancer research or cancer treatment, coming from the word oncology which in turn derives from the Greek work onkos (oγκoς), meaning a mass or tumor, with –ology meaning a study of a particular topic.

An oncologist may work privately, for a hospital, for a pharmaceutical company, or for a medical research institute, and may be involved in not only the diagnosis of cancer and therapy such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, but also other procedures connected with the treatment of cancer patients. These may involve general and specific ethical questions surrounding cancer care; counseling of cancer patients and their families before, during, and after cancer treatment; palliative care of patients suffering from terminal cancer; and in screening of members of the general public (such as mass screening for breast cancer) and also relatives of cancer victims when cancers are thought to be hereditary.

There are many oncologists throughout the world, with much new research not only carried out in the large and well-funded medical research institutes [Page 1280]in the United States and western Europe, but also throughout the world with cancer registries maintained in most countries. These collect data relating to cancer deaths in the particular country, which are then tabulated to allow statisticians to work out possible causes to aid oncologists to work on the development of cancer treatment. The annual Charles F. Kettering Prize of the General Motors Cancer Foundation is awarded for cancer treatment with most of its awards being made to oncologists. There are many journals for oncologists such as the American Journal of Clinical Oncology; Journal of Clinical Hematology and Oncology; European Journal of Gynaecological Oncology; International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics; Radiation Oncology Investigations; Hematological Oncology; Endocurietherapy/Hypothermia Oncology; Oncology News; and Radiation Oncology Investigations.