Tumor diseases are among the most difficult disciplines in medicine. With his relevant expertise, the oncologist deals with all kinds of cancers to meet the specific needs of those affected.
What is an oncologist?
With his or her relevant expertise, the oncologist deals with all kinds of cancers in order to be able to meet the special requirements of those affected. Tumors can appear anywhere on the human body. Due to the complexity of the diseases, it would be simply too much for physicians of all specialties to demand additional knowledge of tumor diseases. For this reason, the specialty of oncologist was created, whose area of expertise includes all types of cancer, regardless of where they appear on the body. In order to qualify as an oncologist, physicians must first successfully complete the compulsory medical studies with a standard period of study of six years and three months. This is followed by a specialization course in internal medicine, which generally takes a further five years. Since the oncologist does not want to specialize in the usual fields of internal medicine, but rather in tumor diseases, his further studies to become a specialist in internal medicine are structured differently. Not only in terms of content, but also in terms of time, the further training to become a specialist in internal medicine with a focus on oncology extends by an additional year to a total of six years. After successfully passing the final examinations, the examinee may finally call himself a specialist in oncology, or oncologist for short.
Treatments
The oncologist’s main effort is to prevent tumors from forming in the first place. Central to this goal is the crystallization of at-risk groups. It has been proven that certain populations have a much higher risk of potentially developing tumors in the near future. This is precisely where the oncologist comes in. By his attempt to identify risk groups and take countermeasures, the number of cancer cases can be reduced by a large amount. The research institution “German Cancer Research Center”, with its headquarters in Heidelberg, is of central importance in the research into possible risk criteria. This is where not only the practical findings of individual oncologists in Germany come together, but also new findings from other countries with which the German Cancer Research Center cooperates. As advanced as current research may be, to date there are only a few mechanisms for successfully preventing cancer formation. For example, there is still only one type of cancer, cervical cancer, whose development can be prevented by a human-developed vaccine. In most other cases, oncologists limit themselves to treating existing tumors, for which they have a variety of different devices at their disposal.
Diagnostic and examination methods
Depending on how far tumor formation has progressed, the oncologist chooses the specific course of treatment. In conventional terms, the classic surgical removal of the tumor is an option, and at this point the oncologist collaborates with surgeons with relevant experience, especially in those cases in which tumor removal proves to be particularly complicated. In cases where the cancer is not yet advanced and is still of a manageable size, the oncologist not infrequently opts for so-called radiation therapy. As the name suggests, the tumor is not operated on but destroyed with the help of radiation. In order to achieve the desired success, gamma, X-ray and electron beams are used, which are subsumed under the term ionizing radiation. In radiation therapy, the oncologist takes advantage of the fact that tumors are usually much more sensitive to radiation than the rest of the healthy tissue. Here, too, the oncologist does not carry out the work independently and alone, but always in cooperation with other specialists and even with medical physicists. Another treatment option considered by the oncologist is the administration of drugs, such as cytostatics, which prevent further cell division and thus spread of the tumor.
What should the patient be aware of?
The question of which oncologist is the most suitable, as with all medical issues, cannot be said in general terms.The decisive factor should not only be the professional competence of the oncologist, but also the interpersonal level. A special approach is indispensable, especially in the case of severe illnesses of cancer patients. Furthermore, the networking of the oncologist is important. Since in most areas he can only achieve optimal results in cooperation with other physicians, patients should pay attention to the networking of their treating physician, for example, in which associations he is a member and whether the hospitals with which he cooperates have as good a reputation as he does.
