What do you mean by medical oncology?

Oncology is a field of study related to medicine which deals with the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer. A doctor who specializes in treating and diagnosing cancer using various treatments like chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy and biological therapy in adults is known as a medical oncologist.
A medical oncologist is the main healthcare provider for a patient suffering from cancer. S/he works in an integrated manner with other specialists to provide you with the best supportive care.

Medical oncology deals with:

• Screening for breast, cervical, colon as well as prostate cancers.
• Diagnosis of any type of cancer.
• Various therapy treatments like chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, biological therapy, immunotherapy, and monoclonal antibodies.
• Palliative care for patients.

Role of medical oncologist in treating cancer:

• A medical oncologist explains to the patient about the diagnosis and stage of cancer which the patient is going through.
• S/he will also suggest you with the best treatment option ensuring the best of quality and right care.
• S/he also manages the side effects and symptoms of cancer and cancer treatment.

When to see a medical oncologist:

You will need to see a good medical oncologist as soon as you are diagnosed with cancer. This will be the first step towards cancer treatment. S/he will facilitate you in understanding your diagnosis as well as the treatment process and procedures you will go through.

You may need to see other oncologists too along with the medical oncologist, depending upon the type of cancer you have.

Apart from medical oncologists who treat cancer using various therapies like chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, biological therapy, immunotherapy and monoclonal antibodies, there are other types of oncologists as well.

A radiation oncologist treats cancer using radiation therapy, in which high energy beams are used to destroy cancer cells.

A surgical oncologist treats cancer by removing the cancer cells (tumors) surgically. S/he also performs biopsy under which a small segment of tissue is taken to test it.

Other types of oncologists that treat cancer are gynecologic oncologist (treats ovarian, uterine as well as cervical cancer), hematologist oncologist (treats blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma) and pediatric oncologist (in case of children).

Treatment provided by medical oncologist:

A medical oncologist particularly deals with various kinds of therapies to treat cancer. These therapies are as follows:

• Chemotherapy: In chemotherapy, the cancer is treated using chemotherapeutic drugs. It improves the quality of life and increases the chances of survival if detected at an early stage. Chemotherapy acts on the abnormal cells which divide rapidly and cause cancer. Either single drug at a time (single agent chemotherapy) or a combination of drugs at once (polychemotherapy) may be used. The combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is known as chemoradiotherapy. Chemotherapy may cause certain temporary side effects such as inflammation in the digestive system, loss of hair follicles, decreased blood cells production, etc.
• Hormone therapy: It is used in only selective types of cancers such as breast as well as prostate cancer, the reason being only minority tumors are hormone sensitive.
• Immunotherapy: This therapy stimulates the immune system of the body to kill cancer cells.
• Monoclonal antibody therapy: This therapy uses monoclonal antibodies (or mAb) which block the specific cell receptors of the tumor by boosting the body immune system.

How to find the best medical oncologist:

Here are some ways which may help you to find the best medical oncologist for yourself:

• Try to contact a hospital which provides cancer treatment. Yashoda Superspeciality Hospital & Cancer Institute, Sanjay Nagar, Ghaziabad is one of the most trusted hospitals in Delhi NCR for cancer treatment.
• Try to ask your friends, family members or relatives who have gone through such treatment. They can recommend you the best medical oncologist.
• Try to contact the medical oncologist depending upon their experience in treating the disease.
• You can contact the medical oncologist on the phone or in person. This will help you know how exactly s/he can help you.

Dr. (Maj. Gen.) B.N. Kapur, the Director of Medical Oncology at Yashoda Superspeciality Hospital & Cancer Institute, Sanjay Nagar, Ghaziabad has expert speciality in medical oncology and in treating blood-related disorders like leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, lymphomas, multiple myeloma, etc. He has served in the
army for more than 36 years as a medical oncologist at the Armed Force Medical College as well as Command Hospital, Pune. Dr. Kapur is known for treating solid organ cancer using the latest evidence-based therapies.

If you are suffering from cancer, then our medical oncologists at Yashoda Superspeciality Hospital & Cancer Institute, Sanjay Nagar, Ghaziabad can help you with the diagnosis and treatment. They provide the best treatment for all kinds of cancer. Yashoda Hospital is one of the most trusted hospitals in Delhi NCR with the best medical oncologists. Various tests like CT scan, MRI, ultrasound can also be performed to get the exact specification of the disease. This will make the treatment process easy not only for the doctors but also for the patients. Based on your reports, our medical oncologist will tell you how long the treatment will take.

Book your appointment now at Yashoda Superspeciality Hospital and the best cancer hospital in Sanjay Nagar, Ghaziabad.