Oncology is the branch of medicine that studies cancerous tumors and seeks to understand their development, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The oncologist often coordinates the multidisciplinary care of cancer patients, which may involve physiotherapy, counselling, and clinical genetics. The oncologist often works with  pathologists on the exact biological nature of the tumor that is being treated. There are many different types of cancer, including breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, genitourinary cancers, gynecologic cancers, head and neck cancers, hematologic cancers, lung cancer, melanomas, prostate cancers, and sarcomas. 

In clinical oncology, there are three major disciplines:

Medical oncology -- the treatment of cancer with medicine, including chemotherapy.
Surgical oncology -- the surgical aspects of cancer including biopsy, staging and surgical resection of tumors.
Radiation oncology -- the treatment of cancer with therapeutic radiation. Radiation Oncology is also called radiation therapy or radiotherapy.)
Within these three primary disciplines, oncologists may and often do further specialize in specific types of cancer such as  breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, brain and spinal cord cancer (neuro-oncology).

Pediatric oncology is usually recognized as a fourth, distinct discipline within the field of oncology. Pediatric oncologists specialize in the treatment of children with cancer and incorporate all three primary oncology disciplines in the care of their young patients. These cancer specialists have the skills required to deal with the unique problems posed by children with cancer.

Medical Opinions Associates has Board-certified experts in the field of Oncology and Pediatric Oncology who review medical records, draft opinion letters, and provide on-going litigation support in medical malpractice and personal injury cases. One is on the faculty at the NYU School of Medicine and is Board-certified in Hematology and Oncology.  He trained at Mount Sinai, New York University, and the Sloan-Kettering Institute. Another MOA Oncologist trained at the Harlem Hospital Center and Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York.  A third served as Chief of Medicine and Chief of Staff, Memorial Hospital, Tampa, Florida.  He is Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Oncology, and Gastroenterology, with a prior fellowship at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas. Our panel includes a California Clinical Oncologist who trained at the Cornell University/New York Hospital, also in Hematology and Oncology.