Oncology is that branch of medicine which deals with the tumors or cancers. The practitioner of this branch of medicine is known as the oncologist. The subject of oncology deals with the diagnosis of cancer in the patient, the therapy that has to be used like chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy, the follow up with the patients once the therapy has been successfully done, and also the ethical questions related with the cancer care. The use of nuclear medicine in oncology has uptill now been associated with the bone scintigraphy, whole body imaging modality, and the treatment of the thyroid cancer with the iodine-131. In the present times the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is being widely used in oncology for the treatment. The chemical on which this is based is the flourodeoxyglucose that is a very sensitive, although a non-specific tumor tracer.
Nuclear medicine on oncology has also seen a wide use in the form of the various imaging techniques that can help in pinpointing the exact location of the tumor and then help in removing it from the body. The nuclear medicine imaging also known as the radio nuclide scanning is a very effective tool as apart from showing the entire organ it also shows the function of the organ as well. This 'functional information' allows the nuclear medicine to accurately diagnose the cancer in the body. In comparison with the other imaging techniques, nuclear medicine imaging allows the early diagnosis, treatment, as well as prevention of the cancer in the body. The nuclear medicine in oncology is a very important tool that can help the medical professionals in fighting the various types of cancers.