Oncology Issues

Oncology is a dynamic medical field constantly evolving to surmount the challenges of helping to heal patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. While oncology treatments and training continually evolve, the field faces emerging oncology issues as more is learned about the disease and new treatments emerge.

Ageism

• The online journal "Cancer Medical Science" reported in June 2010 that ageism is an emerging oncology issue. The article, "Ageism In Oncology," reported that oncology roundtable talks in Barcelona, Spain, discussed that age discrimination can exist in the treatment of cancer in elderly patients.

  In some cases, elderly patients may be undertreated because of lack of access to services. They may also be excluded from clinical trials because of misconceptions that elderly patients are too weak or unwilling to undergo intensive treatment, according to the "Cancer Medical Science" article.

Cultural Barriers

• Another oncology issue is the presence of cultural barriers that may prevent individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer from seeking treatment or from receiving the full benefits of treatment because of misunderstandings or cultural resistance to methods.

  In 2004, University of Hawaii researchers Morris Saldov, Hisako Kakai, Linda McLaughlin and Ann Thomas worked with 50 "mentally competent" Japanese-American elders at the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, finding that cultural barriers were sometimes an oncology issue preventing them from receiving optimal care.

  The study, published in the "Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology," found that patients sometimes signed medical documents they didn't understand or delayed signing documents authorizing treatment because of cultural constraints.

Survivorship Issues

• Survivorship complications in children remains another oncology issue. While children may survive cancer after successful treatment, they still face future physiological and emotional challenges, according to the Ped-Onc Resource Center, an online information source for parents whose children have been diagnosed with cancer.

  Surviving children may be challenged with dental problems, obesity, thyroid or fertility issues, bone density problems, eye complications, breast cancer or cardiotoxicity, which is defined as the negative effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments on the heart.

Preventative Medicine

• The safety and efficacy of preventative medicine in treating cancer is another oncology issue. The Cancer Network, an online cancer resource, reported in May 2010 that there is disagreement among some oncologists about whether preventative treatment for prostate cancer is worth the risk. Treatment medications including dutasteride and finasteride are sometimes prescribed for men at high risk for prostate cancer, according to the article, "Hot Topics Debated at Upcoming Society of Urologic Oncology Meeting." However, at issue is whether the treatment medications give patients a false sense of security, so that they ignore possible warning signs of prostate cancer until the disease becomes very serious.