Surgical Oncology

1. What level of education is required to have this position?

• A four-year Bachelor’s degree.

• A passing Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is required to enter medical school.

• Complete medical school to earn a Medical Doctor (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree.

• Partake in a four-year residency in general surgery.

• Complete a residency program in surgical oncology.

• Earn board certification by successfully completing the General Surgery Certifying Exam.

1. What kind of work do they do?

• Surgical oncologists are general surgeons with specialty training in oncology.

• They diagnose, stage, and remove cancerous growths.

• They speak with patients about options for treatment and educate them on procedures.

• After a surgery is performed, the surgical oncologist informs the patient of the biopsy results (test that analyses cancerous cells) and incision site healing.

• Depending on the severity of the cancer and the cancer treatment, the patient may have to regularly visit a surgical oncologist.

1. How much is their salary?

• The salary for a surgical oncologist can range from $57,810 to $799,405. Reportedly, they earn an average of $310,789 per year.

• The top 86% earn $799,405 annually.

1. What are some of the more common cases they deal with? (diseases, procedures, etc.)

• The most common procedures include biopsies and surgically removing cancerous growths.

• Surgical oncologists can carry out surgery to determine the spread of the cancer.

• They can perform preventative surgeries, such as surgery of the precancerous tissues or organs that may develop cancer in the future.

• Surgical oncologists can study a piece of tissue to see if it contains cancer cells. This procedure is known as a biopsy.

• A biopsy can be a fine needle aspiration or core biopsy. The biopsy can be excisional, where the entire area of tissue is removed (e.g. a mole). The biopsy could also be incisional, where a portion of tissue is removed.

• The biopsy samples are sent to a pathologist to be analyzed. Depending on the results, the patient may have to return to have their cancer removed.

• A staging surgery is done to determine a cancerous tumor’s size and where in the body it has spread to.

• Surgical oncologists are able to remove skin, breast, liver, pancreatic, colon or other types of cancerous tumors.

• They can remove all of the cancer, surrounding healthy tissue or lymph nodes located near the cancer growth.

• Oncologists are able to form a myriad of surgeries to benefit the patient: laparoscopy, laser surgery, cryosurgery, hyperthermia, miscoscopially controlled surgery and endoscopy.

1. Any other relative data that needs to be included.

• Surgery could be used along with other treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation.

References

Ratini, M. (2021, July 1). What Is a Surgical Oncologist? What They Do, When to See One, and What to Expect. WebMD. Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-a-surgical-oncologist

Surgical Oncologist Salary. (n.d.). Comparably. Retrieved November 22, 2021, from

https://www.comparably.com/salaries/salaries-for-surgical-oncologist

What is a Neurologist's Role in Cancer Treatment? (2021, April 20). Work - Chron.com.

Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://work.chron.com/neurologists-role-cancer- treatment-24420.html