Brief Description

Oncology is the branch of medicine dealing with tumors (cancer). A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist. The term originates from the Greek "Ογκολογία" derived from onkos (όγκος), meaning bulk, mass, or tumor, and the suffix -logy (-λογία), meaning "study of" or "to talk about".
Oncology is concerned with:
* The diagnosis of any cancer in a person
* Therapy (e.g., surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other modalities)
* Follow-up of cancer patients after successful treatment
* Palliative care of patients with terminal malignancies
* Ethical questions surrounding cancer care
* Screening efforts:
        * of populations, or
        * of the relatives of patients (in types of cancer that are thought to have a hereditary basis, such as breast cancer)