The key difference between hematology and oncology is that hematology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study and treatment of diseases relating to blood, while oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study and treatment of cancer.
The medical field is expansive and multifaceted. It has different branches, such as allergy and immunology, anaesthesiology, dermatology, diagnostic radiology, emergency medicine, family medicine, medical genetics, nuclear medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, pathology, paediatrics, psychiatry, haematology, oncology, urology, and surgery. Therefore, medicine is the field of health and healing. Medicine includes doctors, nurses, and other specialties. Moreover, it covers the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases together with medical research. Medicine contains several branches, such as hematology, oncology, medical microbiology, psychology, etc.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Hematology
3. What is Oncology
4. Similarities – Hematology and Oncology
5. Hematology vs. Oncology in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Hematology and Oncology
7. Summary – Hematology vs. Oncology
What is Hematology?
Hematology is the study of blood and blood-related disorders. Hematologists and hematopathologists are highly trained individuals specialized in treating the diseases of blood and blood components. Hematological tests such as complete blood count, platelet count, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, international normalized ratio, and bone marrow biopsy are the diagnostic tests involved in this branch of medicine.
In hematology, hematological tests can help diagnose blood-related conditions like anemia, infection, hemophilia, blood clotting disorders, and leukemia. Furthermore, hematologists are required to complete a four-year medical degree followed by three to four years of internal residency medicine and pediatric medicine practice combined in order to treat the above conditions.
What is Oncology?
Oncology is a branch or subspeciality of medicine dedicated to the investigation, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer and suspected cancer cases. Oncologists are trained health specialists who deal with issues in oncology. Diagnostic methods involved in oncology are biopsy or resection, endoscopy, mammogram, CT scan, X-ray, MRI, scintigraphy, single photon emission computed tomography, positron emission tomography, and blood tests.
In oncology, oncological tests can help diagnose different cancers such as colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, brain cancer, blood cancer, etc. Furthermore, oncologists are required to complete a four-year medical degree and three to seven years of internship and residency programs in order to treat the above cancers.
What are the Similarities Between Hematology and Oncology?
- Hematology and oncology are two different branches of medicine.
- Hematology specialization is often combined with specialization in oncology.
- Both branches may relate to each other when studying blood cancers.
- They are extremely important to save millions of lives of patients worldwide.
What is the Difference Between Hematology and Oncology?
Hematology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study and treatment of diseases relating to blood, while oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study and treatment of cancer. Thus, this is the key difference between hematology and oncology. Furthermore, hematologists and hematopathologists are trained health practitioners who treat diseases in hematology. On the other hand, oncologists are trained health practitioners who treat cancers and suspected cancer cases in oncology.
The infographic below presents the differences between hematology and oncology in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
FAQ: Hematology and Oncology
What types of cancers do hematologists treat?
Hematologists primarily treat cancers related to blood and the lymphatic system, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.
Why is it called oncology?
The term “oncology” is derived from the Greek word “onkos,” meaning mass or tumor. It is used to describe the branch of medicine that deals with the study and treatment of cancer.
What do hematologists do?
Hematologists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders related to blood, including blood cancers, anemia, clotting disorders, and other hematologic conditions.
Summary – Hematology vs. Oncology
Hematology and oncology are two different branches of medicine. Moreover, hematology specialization is often combined with specialization in oncology as well. However, hematology is dedicated to the investigation, diagnosis, and treatment of blood and blood-related disorders while oncology is a branch or subspeciality of medicine dedicated to the investigation, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer and suspected cancer cases. This summarizes the difference between hematology and oncology.
Reference:
1. Mandal, Dr. Ananya. “What Is Oncology?” News Medical.net.
2. “Hematology – An Overview.” ScienceDirect Topics.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Set of vials and test tube of blood” (CC0) via Pexels
2. “Radiation-oncology” By Hope~enwikibooks at English Wikibooks (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia