What Type of Diagnostic Work Do Oncology Jobs Include?
One of the most important aspects of oncology jobs is the ability to properly and successfully diagnose a patient"s symptoms. This allows oncologists to decide which cancer they are dealing with, the stage of the cancer, the health and ability of the patient to fight the disease and what measures need to be taken. Most importantly, the diagnostic type methods and tools can make the difference between successful treatment and the extreme suffering of a patient, with the potential for death. These tools and methods include:* reviewing patient symptoms - paraneoplastic type phenomena, unexplained fevers/anaemia, weight loss, fatigue, etc.
* locating a potential malignancy or cancer tumor(s)
* taking samples of potentially cancerous cells or tumors through biopsies (excisional or incisional)
* doing endoscopies (nasendoscopy, bronchoscopy, lower gastrointestinal or upper gastrointestinal)
* ordering varied radiology and/or nuclear medicine type tests to look for cancerous masses, cancerous cells or pre-cancerous growths (ultrasound, MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomography, scintigraphy, etc.)
* ordering specialized blood type tests to test for white blood counts and varied tumor type markers
* ordering empirical therapy - based on the test results if an exact type of cancer diagnosis has not been possible to make
* doing tests and exams for lumps where main tumors cannot be identified or located
Oncology jobs have an important role in diagnosing cancer of all types in patients. Through these series of methods and tools, oncologists on the job can best assure that they diagnose the correct type of cancer, how far along it has progressed, what the life expectancy of the patient will be and how best to treat it.