Hematology and oncology overlap due to blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Hematologists study blood and its diseases, while oncologists focus on cancer. Both fields require technical knowledge to properly study these cancers and encourage cooperation between physicians.
The connection between hematology and oncology is that both fields overlap due to the presence of blood cancers. Hematology is the study of blood and its diseases while oncology is the study of cancer. Three cancers affect the blood: leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Physicians specializing in oncology generally receive training in hematology; the reverse is also true.
Hematology is a specialized medicine that deals with the study of blood and blood diseases. Hematologists research to better understand blood in the human body, their new discoveries shed light on the function of blood and the disorders that affect it. Their work is essential in finding treatments for blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia and haemophilia.
Oncology is concerned with looking for the many types of cancer; doctors who specialize in it are called oncologists. Despite centuries of medical advances, diagnosing cancer still relies primarily on the physical exam and for a patient to talk about their symptoms. As with hematologists, an oncologist may focus on treating patients or work in a laboratory researching new treatments. Some oncologists are known to have started their careers in one area before moving on to another.
Where hematology and oncology overlap are cancers that affect the blood. Blood, a tissue, is vulnerable to three forms of cancer: leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. These three hematological cancers, like all cancers, are due to the rapid proliferation of the mutated cells. Each has a specific pathology and a recommended course of treatment.
Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and white blood cells. The bone marrow produces large numbers of mutated white blood cells. These blood cells bypass normal white blood cells and the body becomes unable to fight off infection. Therefore, one of the main symptoms is affected by the effects of many opportunistic infections. A combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and/or a bone marrow transplant has the potential to liberate the cancer.
Hematology and oncology also come into play with lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes in the body. A normal lymph node helps fight infection by concentrating a large number of white blood cells. A lymphoma is a cancer that develops from a lymph node. Hodgkin lymphoma spreads from one group of lymph nodes to another while non-Hodgkin lymphoma spreads randomly throughout the body. Depending on the stage of the cancer, a combination of radiation and chemotherapy treatments can either cure the cancer or slow its progression so much that a patient can still lead a normal life.
The latest cancer where hematology and oncology overlap is myeloma. Myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells, white blood cells that produce antibodies. Bone pain and kidney failure are the two most common symptoms. Depending on the patient’s age and other medical issues, a combined treatment of chemotherapy and stem cell therapy may be able to provide a cure. As with lymphoma, survival largely depends on the stage of the cancer at diagnosis.
To better understand these cancers, physicians in both fields are trained in both hematology and oncology. In both specialties, technical knowledge is required to properly study leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Having common knowledge also encourages cooperation between physicians in hematology and oncology, leading to more treatments for these diseases.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
