Choose your Oncology Specialty...

[Depakote]

I'm leaning towards Heme Onc, but then again. I work in BMT so I'm probably biased.

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[JohnyWalker]

I'm leaning towards Heme Onc, but then again. I work in BMT so I'm probably biased.

I, on the other hand, am leaning towards pediatric oncology.

 

[Depakote]

wow, hope the poll didn't take forever to come up, didn't realize the post came that early.

BTW, this was intended for people that might already be leaning towards oncology, don't feel like you have to answer if you're a militant podiatrist.

 

[happydays]

Zap it. Zap it good.

 

[potato51]

chose surgical.

 

[bkflaneur]

I'm interested in oncology, but don't know that much about the various sub-specialties. Can anyone give me a quick overview of how the subspecialties differ? Some of them (surgery and radiation) are clear to me. But what's the difference between medical oncology and heme-onc?

Is pediatric oncology the pediatrics version medical oncology?

Thanks.

 

[Depakote]

Medical Oncology- Traditional Oncology (usually uses chemotherapy), treats a wide range of cancers, may specialize

Radiation Oncology- Uses radiation to treat cancer, usually applied like x-rays, but occasionally there are radioactive isotopes/antibodies that may be given via IV. Again, the range of cancers are wide.

Hematology Oncology- More narrow, usually limited to blood-borne malignancies, like leukemia. These are treated with different chemotherapy regimens but bone-marrow transplant is a frequently used therapy.

Surgical Oncology- Cut the cancer out, yeah, pretty simple.

Pediatric Oncology- can actually be any child version of the above.

 

[bkflaneur]

Medical Oncology- Traditional Oncology (usually uses chemotherapy), treats a wide range of cancers, may specialize

Radiation Oncology- Uses radiation to treat cancer, usually applied like x-rays, but occasionally there are radioactive isotopes/antibodies that may be given via IV. Again, the range of cancers are wide.

Hematology Oncology- More narrow, usually limited to blood-borne malignancies, like leukemia. These are treated with different chemotherapy regimens but bone-marrow transplant is a frequently used therapy.

Surgical Oncology- Cut the cancer out, yeah, pretty simple.

Pediatric Oncology- can actually be any child version of the above.

Thanks. And are they all done as fellowships following a medical or surgical residency?

 

[Gfunk6]

Thanks. And are they all done as fellowships following a medical or surgical residency?

Internal Medicine (3 years) may be followed by:
*Medical Oncology fellowship (2 years) OR
*Hematology/Oncology fellowship (3 years)

Pediatrics (3 years) may be followed by:
*Peds Hematology/Oncology fellowship (3 years)

General Surgery (5-7 years) may be followed by:
*Surgical Oncology (2 years)

Neurology (4 years) may be followed by:
*Neuro-Oncology (1 year)

Radiation Oncology is its own residency requiring 1 year of general medicine and 4 years of RadOnc (5 total)

 

[Depakote]

Thanks. And are they all done as fellowships following a medical or surgical residency?

I know Medical Oncology and Heme/Onc are done following an Internal Medicine Residency, I'd assume the same for Rad Onc. Surgical Onc is probably done after a General Surgery residency. Don't quite know how you'd have to do a sub ped's specialty, but it's probably ped's first then whatever.

EDIT: Just listen to GFUNK, those numbers sound better.

 

[SwineLake98]

I spent my summer doing research in a lab focused on Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and shadowing in a hem/onc clinic, so I'm a little biased...I really do think I might want to do a hem/onc fellowship after an internal residency, despite that fact that I used to watch the fellows fight over BMT duty because no one wanted it!

 

[Pewl]

Rad Onc. All the way.

All of my graduate work has been in Rad Onc.

GO VARIAN! =D

 

[gdbaby]

I volunteered in a peds oncology dept and I commend anyone who could do it--it takes a special person. I cried the whole afternoon when I got home.

 

[ShyRem]

med onc.

 

[riceman04]

so i guess orthopaedic oncology is actually a subspecialty of ortho, right?

hey what is indie music?

 

[LabMonster]

Heme/Onc - something about leukemia really pisses me off.

I'm not sure it's where I want to end up, but it's definitely an option.

 

[Snowboarder]

Medical Oncology- Traditional Oncology (usually uses chemotherapy), treats a wide range of cancers, may specialize

Radiation Oncology- Uses radiation to treat cancer, usually applied like x-rays, but occasionally there are radioactive isotopes/antibodies that may be given via IV. Again, the range of cancers are wide.

Hematology Oncology- More narrow, usually limited to blood-borne malignancies, like leukemia. These are treated with different chemotherapy regimens but bone-marrow transplant is a frequently used therapy.

Surgical Oncology- Cut the cancer out, yeah, pretty simple.

Pediatric Oncology- can actually be any child version of the above.

I believe, but correct me if I'm wrong, that a pediatric oncologist is most similar to a medical oncologist in terms of their responsibilities. Depending on the disease, if the child needs radiation, surgery, bone marrow transplant etc, a specialist usually does this part of the treatment. Childhood cancers are so rare that, unless your at St. Jude's or something, you rarely find surgeons and radiation oncologists dedicated solely to the treatment of children.

 

[gujuDoc]

Rad Onc. All the way.

All of my graduate work has been in Rad Onc.

GO VARIAN! =D

Isn't Rad Onco supposed to be one of the most competitive fields these days?? I know a couple of people back from home town who matched into Rad onco. One actually finished residency and is practicing now. The other is still in residency and just matched in the 2005 match but I was told that it is one of the hardest fields in today's world of medicine to get into like Derm and Rads.

Is it also true that they have good hours too?? Cuz that is another thing that I have heard.

For me, if onco was my field choice, I'd probably go with pediatric oncology because I like to work with child patients more. I have more fun with children then the adult population base.

 

[shantster]

I voted heme/onc though I'm torn between that and medical oncology. There's just no way that I'd do peds for that though.

 

[happydays]

Where are the rest of the radonc people? All the ones posting here except pewl is into another onc specialty, yet radonc is leading the poll. Come on fellow radonc friends, reveal yourselves.

 

[SwineLake98]

Heme/Onc - something about leukemia really pisses me off.

This makes me laugh. Perhaps because small lymphocytic lymphoma is really also chronic lymphocytic leukemia but it gets lumped in as a Non-Hodgkin's subtype, even though it doesnt respond well to the usual approach to an indolent lmphoma.

Can you tell I shadowed the Chair of Lymphoma this past summer? 😛

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Which one makes the most cash?




(Before you all start flaming me, I'm kidding)

 

[QuantumMechanic]

unless your at St. Jude's or something, you rarely find surgeons and radiation oncologists dedicated solely to the treatment of children.

It is St. Jude not St. Jude's

Sorry, I work there and its a big pet peeve of mine and everyone else who works there.

 

[medgator]

Isn't Rad Onco supposed to be one of the most competitive fields these days?? I know a couple of people back from home town who matched into Rad onco. One actually finished residency and is practicing now. The other is still in residency and just matched in the 2005 match but I was told that it is one of the hardest fields in today's world of medicine to get into like Derm and Rads.

Is it also true that they have good hours too?? Cuz that is another thing that I have heard.

For me, if onco was my field choice, I'd probably go with pediatric oncology because I like to work with child patients more. I have more fun with children then the adult population base.

Yes and Yes (the second one being relative to other medical fields of course 😀 )

 

[Rafa]

Pediatric Oncology (though Pediatric Neurology/surgery would rock harder).

 

[gujuDoc]

Yes and Yes (the second one being relative to other medical fields of course 😀 )

Oh ok. On a side note, I don't know what sub area of pediatric oncology I'd go into, if I were to go into the field.

I just know that it would have to be pediatric and not adult based oncological areas. If it were adult, I'd probably focus on women's health such as breast cancer or cervical cancer.

 

[Orthodoc40]

so i guess orthopaedic oncology is actually a subspecialty of ortho, right?

That it is.

By the way, the medical oncologist is usually the one that has to tell the person they have cancer, and is kind of the focal point for all of their treatment. Kind of the GP for the oncology world, if that makes sense.