Oncology is the field of medicine that is devoted to cancer. Clinical oncology consist of three primary disciplines: medical oncology (the treatment of cancer with medicine, including chemotheraphy), surgical oncology (the surgical aspects of cancer including biopsy, staging, and surgical resection of tumors), and radiation oncology (the treatment of cancer with therapeutic radiation). The word “onco” means bulk, mass, or tumor while “-logy” means study.
A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist.