Treatment Planning Once the diagnosis is made, the treatment team is assembled. Depending on the most appropriate kind of treatment for your particular tumor , you may deal with internists, surgeons or medical or radiation oncologists.
• Internists are specialists in many fields of internal medicine. They may specialize, for example, in the blood
(hematologists), cancer (oncologists), the endocrine system (endocrinologists), the gastrointestinal or GI tract
(gastroenterologists), kidneys (nephrologists) or the brain and nervous system (neurologists).
• Medical oncologists—internists with additional training in the treatment of cancer—prescribe chemotherapy
drugs as well as hormones and other biological agents.
• Surgeons—who cut out as much cancerous tissue as possible, ideally before it has a chance to spread—also
often specialize, operating only on specific areas of the body. But you should be aware that medical practices
aren't always the same in all communities. Most general surgeons, for example, will operate on organs in the
abdomen. Most will operate on the colon and rectum, although in larger cities there are usually surgeons who
specialize in this area of the body (proctologists). Some general surgeons do chest surgery, others don't. Some
back operations will be done by neurosurgeons in some communities but by bone and joint (orthopedic)
surgeons in others.
• Diagnostic radiologists are specialists in the performing and interpretation of x-rays including computerized
tomograms (CT), magnetic resonance images (MRI) and ultrasound.
• Radiation oncologists are specialists in the use of high-energy x-rays to cause tumors to shrink. Within the
