Some patients assume that any oncologist can treat their cancer. What they fail to realize is that different types of cancers exist today. If you had breast cancer, you wouldn’t visit an oncologist specializing in brain tumors. Thankfully, the oncology Sebring staff will help patients find the correct specialist for them.
Besides the different cancer classifications, demography is a factor for the different types of oncologists. Some treat adults and those treat children. Having understood why there are various oncologists, here are five you may visit.
Pediatric Oncologist
Children who require treatment should see this oncologist. They treat diseases of blood cells, brain tumors, leukemia, lymphoma, bone tumors, and clotting disorders. Although they mostly treat children, they sometimes attend to patients in their 20s since they are knowledgeable about how various cancers behave.
Pediatric oncologists offer various treatment options for children depending on their cancer type. Some treatments they may use are stem cell transplants, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. Occasionally, they may conduct clinical trials to discover new treatments that may work for you.
Surgical Oncologist
They diagnose cancers through biopsies, and there are several of them available. Some procedures they may use include laparotomy, skin biopsy, fine needle aspiration, incisional biopsy, etc. Afterward, they send your samples to a pathologist who checks for cancer cells.
Surgical oncologists can remove cancers from your colon, skin, breast, pancreas, and so on. Some techniques they may use to remove them include cryosurgery, endoscopy, laser surgery, hyperthermia, and laparoscopy. After any procedure, they will instruct you on pain management and what activities to avoid.
Neurological Oncologist
This surgeon focuses on treating patients with brain tumors, spinal cord tumors, and other neurological conditions related to cancer. First, they perform a neurological exam which entails asking their patients questions about their hearing ability, reflexes, and coordination. Next, they do imaging tests such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to understand your symptoms further.
This doctor treats brain tumors through radiation therapy, surgery, and chemotherapy. Since surgery tends to cause side effects such as swelling, they inject patients with steroids before beginning. Ironically, any steroids can cause swelling.
Gynecologic Oncologist
You should see a gynecologic oncologist if you have cancer of the vulva, ovaries, vagina, uterus, or cervix. They examine whether cancers from those organs have spread to the rest of the body. If your cancer has spread, they will work with other oncologists to control it. Depending on your condition, they may recommend hormone therapy, surgery, or chemotherapy.
When should you see a gynecologic oncologist? See one as soon as you experience pain in your pelvic area, constant bloating, sores in your vagina, and an unusual amount of vaginal discharge. Depending on the severity of your cancer, they may work together with gynecologists.
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation oncologists specialize in treating cancers through radiation therapy. They offer two types of radiation therapies: external beam and internal. The former uses a linear accelerator to deliver radiation to cancer cells, while the latter delivers radiation through needles or catheters.
Radiation therapy is suitable for treating bone, pancreatic, liver, lung, colon, and prostate cancers. Before offering this service, they usually consult other specialists. The other doctors may discover abnormalities that a radiation oncologist may have overlooked.
Conclusion
You can beat cancer as long as you see the appropriate oncologist in time. That means you should be on the lookout for the general symptoms we pointed out earlier. The sooner you go, the better.
However, it is even more apt to take preventive measures to avoid getting cancer. You can do that by eating a healthy diet, not using tobacco, practicing safe sex, protecting yourself from the sun, and getting vaccinated. Remember, cancer treatment is expensive, which means you can easily exhaust all your savings.
