Oncologist

An oncologist is a medical doctor who is trained in diagnosing and treating cancer. Some oncologists specialize in a particular method of cancer treatment, such as radiation, surgery or chemotherapy. Other oncologists focus on certain types of cancer, such as mesothelioma and lung cancer, colorectal or breast cancer. A patient is generally referred to an oncologist by his or her family doctor.

Oncologists work to diagnose the precise type of cancer a patient has, and then to formulate a treatment program tailored to the type and stage of cancer as well as the patient’s individual circumstances. Both diagnosis and treatment rely on different types of technology and require the assembly of different types of information. This means that a mesothelioma patient must see several kinds of doctors and undergo different medical tests and treatment procedures. The oncologist orchestrates all this, ensuring that all the physicians and their procedures are working together in a coordinated way to provide the best and most appropriate medical treatment.

The first meeting with an oncologist may come midway through the diagnostic process. The oncologist will usually ask about the patient’s symptoms, conduct a physical examination and take a full medical history. The oncologist may order blood tests, a biopsy and images such as an X-ray, CT scan or MRI. The oncologist will use the results of these tests to determine whether cancer is present, what type and what stage. From there, the oncologist will determine the best course of treatment.

During the treatment process, an oncologist will continue to order tests and procedures to re-evaluate a patient’s health and track any progression of the cancer. The effectiveness of treatment is highly dependent on the type of cancer and its progression. The oncologist may order a variety of treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation. These three treatment options are most commonly used in treating mesothelioma.

Patients should take care to be open with the oncologist about their concerns. It is the oncologist’s job to explain the different kinds of tests and treatment procedures that a patient will undergo, why the procedures are necessary, the results of the tests and treatment, and the patient’s overall outlook for the future. If a patient has any questions or needs more information about any step in the process, the oncologist is there to help.