Definition, activity and training in medical oncology (author's transl)

Abstract

Medical oncology has been defined by the Italian Association of Medical Oncology as a common branch of internal medicine and of clinical oncology. The principal activity of medical oncology is the study and treatment of neoplastic disease with chemotherapy, endocrine therapy and immunotherapy. The field of medical oncology is expanding by broad-based interaction of the multiple disciplines involved in the cancer care. The medical oncologist is therefore an essential component of the team making the initial management decision, and coordinates the selection of appropriate therapy in case of relapse after primary treatment or initially disseminated disease. Since optimal management should be available to all cancer patients regardless of economic, social or geographic considerations, new structures should be created to train young physicians in the field of medical oncology after they have completed their educational program in internal medicine. It is essential that the control of neoplastic diseases should no longer be confined to highly-specialized centers where new treatment modalities should continue to develop, but become an integral part of cancer care for the entire population. To accomplish this goal, medical oncology should become part of formal training.