An oncologist is a physician who is expert in diagnosing and treating diseases related to tumors or lumps. An oncologist deals with the cause, prevention diagnosis, biology and treatment of cancerous diseases. Cancer develops when the cells of a particular organ behaves in a different manner thereby destroying the healthy cells. These cells spread to the other organs through the lymph nodes that are associated with each organ. Oncologists say that the cause of cancer may be due to carcinogens, congenital conditions and environmental conditions. One of the preventive measures that oncologist’s advice is avoiding smoking and other carcinogens which will decrease the risk of formation of cancerous cells.
An oncologist diagnosis the malignant cells through blood tests, scan and biopsy. Biopsy is a procedure where the cells from the tumor are removed to check for the presence of malignant cells. The physician examines the biopsy material very carefully under a microscope and classifies the cancerous tissues based on their place of origin for example, if the cancerous tissues are found to arise from glands are called adenocarcinomas and those arising from mesoderm are called sarcomas. After classification, an oncologist determines the intensity and the extent cancerous tissues have spread.
A process called staging does the extent the cancerous tissues have been spread. There are four different stages of cancer. Stage 1 is the beginning stage of cancer where the cancerous cells have been identified within the tumor. The cells are localized within the tumor in this stage. Stage 2 is where the cancerous tissues spread within the tumor causing the tumor to become large in size. In stage 3, the cancerous tissues start spreading to the lymph nodes. Stage 4 is the last stage where the cancerous cells starts spreading to other organs thereby causing organ failure and risk of loosing life.
