Oncology
Oncology is the medical study and treatment of
cancer. A physician who practices oncology is an oncologist. The term is from the
Greek onkos, meaning bulk or mass, and the suffix
-ology, meaning study of.
The traditional methods of oncology, or means of treating cancer, are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Surgery involves cutting out malignant tumors. Chemotherapy involves administering chemicals to the patient to affect the cancer. Radiation therapy involves direction of radiation to concentrate on the cancerous tissue to kill it.
A significant problem with treatment methods such as surgery and directed radiation is that destruction of the primary tumor often results in other dormant micrometastases becoming active. In other words, once the main cancer is removed, other cancer sites often pop up throughout the body.
Many other types of therapy have been tried with cancer patients. Some of these have been discredited by the medical community, such as amygdalin, also known as laetrile, an extract of apricot pits. Other herbal preparations are being tried by various practitioners. Some physicians have claimed significant success with a modified means of delivering chemotherapy, termed IPT or insulin potentiation therapy.
Other efforts have centered on trying to bolster the body's immune system's ability to deal with the cancer. Unfortunately, many cancers present surface configurations that exactly mimic their original healthy parent cells, so that most immunotherapies are useless against them.
Some patients also use what are known as "adjunctive therapies", including such practices as visualization. While these are largely not proven to be effective, they are mostly at least harmless and often supportive of the patient's state of mind while they are undergoing medical therapies.
Also see experimental cancer treatments.
Links moved from medicine, to be sorted:
Breast cancer -- Cervical cancer -- Prostate cancer -- Stomach cancer
In the News
[Odd] A Romanian couple has named their son Yahoo as a sign of gratitu
Daily Libertatea said on Thursday Cornelia and Nonu Dragoman, both from Transylvania, met and decided they were meant for each other following a three-month relationship over the net.They married and had a baby this Christmas, whom they decided to name after one of the worldwide web's most popular portals."We named him Lucian Yahoo after my father and the net, the main beacon of my life,"Cornelia Dragoman was quoted as saying. Human Eggs Can Develop From Ovarian Surface Cells In Vitro
Research has shown for the first time that human eggs may develop directly from cultured ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) cells derived from adult human ovaries. Oocytes derived from the culture of OSE cells developed in vitro into mature eggs suitable for fertilization and development into an embryo. These findings are published today in the Open Access journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology. UC Davis Study Shows Lake Tahoe Is Warming Up
The waters of Lake Tahoe are warming up at almost twice the rate of the world's oceans, probably as a consequence of global climate change, according to a new study by UC Davis scientists.The higher warming rate, reported for the first time in the new study, could have major implications for public plans to keep the lake blue. The Exploratorium's Science of Cycling
Part of a series from the Exploratorium (San Francisco) on "the science behind popular spectator and recreational sports."Features sections on bicycle wheels, drives and gears, frames and materials, braking and steering, aerodynamics, and human power. Includes images and video clips. Available in German, Dutch, and English. Researchers Identify Key Step In Cocaine-induced Heart Enlargement, Su
Cocaine, in concentrations commonly sold on the street, causes the abnormal buildup of primitive proteins in heart muscle -- a process that can ultimately lead to sudden death, a new study reports. Steroids Reduce Heart Damage Risk In Children With Kawasaki's Disease
When added to standard treatment, steroids significantly reduce the odds of developing heart damage in children with Kawasaki's disease, according to a study in the October issue of Pediatrics. Smoking May Interfere With Alcoholics'Neurocognitive Recovery During A
Smoking may interfere with alcoholics'neurocognitive recovery during abstinence. Alcoholics frequently smoke. Anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of individuals in North America who seek alcoholism treatment are also chronic smokers. New findings indicate that smoking may interfere with alcoholics'neurocognitive recovery during their first six to nine months of abstinence from alcohol. Earth From Space
Companion to 2006-2010 traveling exhibition featuring satellite imagery of Earth from space. Provides images of vegetation, tropical forests, oceans, floods and storms, mountains and volcanoes, agriculture, urban areas, and more. Includes material about remote sensing and satellite technology. From the Smithsonian Institution. Baseball Guru Says Yankees, Dodgers Should Make World Series
With the League Championship Series set to begin tomorrow, NJIT Mathematics Professor Bruce Bukiet has, once again, analyzed the probability of each team winning their post-season series. Bukiet updates his calculations daily during the Major League Baseball post-season. Scientists Make Atomic Clock Breakthrough
Andrei Derevianko, Kyle Beloy, and Ulyana Safronova sat down six months ago and began work on a calculation that will help the world keep better time. In competition with scientists at the University of New South Wales, the University team led by associate professor Derevianko conducted research that increased the accuracy of atomic clocks, and they did it without running a single experiment.
MP3 Music Downloads
Preview songs, Download Free Music,Burn CDs at ITunes.com
 
|
