Spontaneous oncology studies aspects of carcinogenesis, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. A special aspect is the scientific research of spontaneous tumors, compared to what is known or investigated in humans. The results and conclusions obtained from animal research can sometimes be extrapolated to human oncology or/and they allow for a better understanding of cancer disease, in general. Subjects with spontaneous neoplasms can be used for both investigations with a view to understanding tumor disease and in the experimentation of treatment methodologies and schemes that can be subsequently implemented in humans.
Experimental oncology has developed into a real discipline and branch of scientific investigations, with specializations related to carcinogenesis, diagnosis and therapy. These specializations, in their turn, include concerns regarding viral, chemical, radiation oncogenesis, the implication of polluting residues, food additives, environmental conditions, etc. The progress in the field of diagnosis is remarkable and has been obtained in particular by experimental investigations. The knowledge of the triggering and evolution of tumor disease, as well as treatment, are due to a large extent to the results obtained under experimental conditions. As it was mentioned before, experimental oncology is practiced on both spontaneous tumors occurring in different animal species and in laboratory animals.
The distinction is not clear.
