It is no secret that being a doctor is a rewarding and stimulating profession. Most medical subspecialties involve caring for sick patients and dealing with progressive and irreversible diseases. However, in oncology, there is the potential to cure some patients at a faster rate than other specialties, such as EPI or advanced heart failure. Even when a cure is not possible, oncologists can often provide relief to their patients.
Before delving into the specifics of oncology, it is important to understand what an oncologist does. Oncology, or cancer care, is covered by a variety of specialties. For example, surgeons who specialize in cancer operations may refer to themselves as oncologists, such as “gyneoncology”. For doctors, there are two main specialties: medical and clinical oncology.
Medical oncology focuses on pharmacological treatments for cancer, including chemotherapy, hormones, and biological agents. Clinical oncology involves administering pharmacological treatments as well as radiation therapy, often in combination. Treatments can be curative, adjuvant or palliative. The term “oncologist” is a general term that encompasses both medical and clinical oncology. Since the 1990s, the mortality rate for cancer has decreased due to the emergence of new oncology specialties and innovative therapies, according to the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and Final Outcomes Program.
To become an oncologist, it is desirable for a trainee to have an undergraduate degree or equivalent, a higher degree such as a master's or doctorate degree, experience in caring for cancer patients, and training and skills in handling acute medical emergencies. Teamwork is essential for both specialties and most oncologists work as part of a multidisciplinary tumor site team comprised of specialist nurses, radiographers, physicists, surgeons, and other physicians. Medical oncologists typically work in cancer centers and treat diseases such as gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer, genitourinary tract cancer, melanoma, leukemia, etc. Specialist training in both clinical oncology and medical oncology begins after basic medical training (CMT), which includes completion of MRCP (UK). It is important for medical oncologists to devote some time to research during their work week through clinical trials or translational research. At the end of basic training in clinical oncology, interns must pass the first Royal College of Radiologists (FRCR) scholarship and at the end of the advanced clinical training oncology training, students must have passed the final FRCR before being able to obtain their CCT in clinical oncology. In conclusion, becoming an oncologist requires dedication and hard work but can be incredibly rewarding. Oncologists have the potential to cure some patients at a faster rate than other specialties and provide relief to those they cannot cure.
It is also important for medical oncologists to devote some time to research during their work week through clinical trials or translational research.
