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Oncology is the medical study and treatment of cancer. A physician who practices oncology is an oncologist. The term is from the Greek onkos (?????), meaning bulk, mass or tumor, and the suffix -ology, meaning "study of".
Diagnosis (from the Greek words dia = by and gnosis = knowledge) is the process of identifying a disease by its signs, symptoms and results of various diagnostic procedures. The conclusion reached through that process is also called a diagnosis.
Typically, someone with abnormal symptoms will consult a physician, who will then obtain a history of their present illness and examine them for signs of disease. The physician will formulate a hypothesis of likely diagnoses and in many cases will obtain further testing to confirm or clarify the diagnosis before proceeding to render treatment.
Forms of testing commonly performed are blood tests, medical imaging, electrocardiogram, urinalysis and, occasionally, biopsy.
The list of most likely and possible diagnoses based on available information is called a differential diagnosis; the final diagnosis is only arrived at after other diseases on this list have been eliminated through further investigations or consultations. |
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