What is the difference between clinical and medical oncology

Why I decided to become a clinical oncologist Issue 3 4 of Next Article. Protecting patients - anti-social media Issue 3 5 of Continuing our series looking at different medical specialties, Dr Sally Old talks about her route into clinical oncology.

How did you first get into medicine? More from this issue. Quiz Full of knowledge? Take our quiz on capacity. Feature Mini essay competition - the winner! A patient from my student days made me realise the importance of holistic care. Photo credit: Science Photo Library. Dr Sally Old Medico-legal adviser. View Comments 0 comments. A medical oncologist is also the doctor a cancer patient will continue to see after treatment, for checkups over the long-term.

A surgical oncologist is a surgeon who specializes in performing biopsies and removing cancerous tumors and surrounding tissue, as well as other cancer-related operations. A radiation oncologist specializes in treating cancer with radiation therapy to shrink or destroy cancer cells or to ease cancer-related symptoms. Many cancer types are treated by an oncology sub-specialty.

Gynecologic oncologists, for example, are trained to treat cancers of the female reproductive system such as those affecting the uterus, cervix, or ovaries, while hematologic oncologists specialize in diagnosing and treating blood cancers leukemia , lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

A neuro-oncologist treats cancers of the brain, spine and peripheral nerves. Board certification means that, in addition to having completed a residency program, the doctor has also completed an oncology fellowship, which provides training in diagnosing and treating cancer, and he or she has successfully passed a rigorous testing and peer evaluation process in an area of expertise.

They are the two main medical specialities that actively manage patients with non-haematological malignancy. They often work in partnership, and both give systemic therapy to patients, but only the clinical oncologists administer radiotherapy. What divides us — except ourselves? Would our patients benefit from closer working between the nonsurgical cancer disciplines? There are different staffing problems in each department, but I have yet to talk to a department who feel they could not benefit from more staff.

True, staffing ratios vary markedly, so there are myriad possibilities on how to cut the available cloth, but in this current time of spiralling demand, poor outcomes nationally and increasing work force shortages, working together to maximise experience whilst minimising inefficiencies can only benefit patient outcomes.

The General Medical Council GMC have tasked all specialties to rewrite their curricula based on high-level outcomes, rather than detailed lists of competencies, as is the current form.

An additional charge is to identify commonalities between specialties to facilitate interspecialty transfer for trainees. The final hurdle at least for now is to demonstrate consultation and input from stakeholders i. For those of us born after , that equates to half of us directly and almost certainly the other half as a spouse, child, sibling. So, I think we are all stakeholders.