Cancer Care (Oncology)

Oncology is the branch of medicine that diagnoses and treats cancer. Modern cancer care is delivered by a multidisciplinary team: surgeons, medical oncologists who give drug treatments, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, specialist nurses and palliative care doctors, who review each case together at a tumour board.

Cancer is not one disease. Outlook and treatment differ enormously by type, stage and the biology of the individual tumour. Honest care means explaining the aim of each treatment, whether cure, control or comfort, and avoiding promises.

Conditions this service looks after

• Breast cancer
• Lung cancer
• Bowel, stomach, pancreatic and liver cancers
• Prostate, bladder and kidney cancers
• Gynaecological cancers
• Head, neck and thyroid cancers
• Brain tumours
• Skin cancers including melanoma
• Lymphoma, leukaemia and myeloma, usually under haematology
• Sarcomas and rare tumours

Tests you may be offered

• Biopsy and pathology: A tissue sample is the basis of nearly every cancer diagnosis, including the tumour type and grade.
• Molecular and genetic testing: Looks for mutations and markers such as HER2, EGFR, BRAF, PD-L1 or MSI that guide targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
• CT and MRI: Show the size of the tumour and its relation to nearby structures.
• PET-CT: Finds metabolically active disease across the body for staging and response assessment in many cancers.
• Endoscopy: Visualises and samples tumours of the gut, airways and bladder.
• Tumour markers: Blood tests such as PSA, CEA or CA-125, used mostly for monitoring, not for diagnosis alone.
• Pathology second review: Re-examination of your existing slides by a second pathologist, which sometimes changes the diagnosis.

Treatments available

• Surgery: Removal of the tumour and draining nodes, the main curative treatment for many solid tumours.
• Radiotherapy: Targeted high-energy radiation, alone or with other treatments.
• Chemotherapy: Drugs that kill dividing cells, given in cycles.
• Targeted therapy: Drugs matched to specific molecular changes in the tumour.
• Immunotherapy: Drugs that help the immune system recognise cancer.
• Hormone therapy: For hormone-driven breast and prostate cancers.
• Palliative and supportive care: Control of pain and symptoms, nutrition and psychological support, from diagnosis onwards and not only at the end of life.

When to ask for a specialist opinion

• A new diagnosis, to confirm the plan before you begin treatment
• When surgery with major consequences is proposed and you want to know the alternatives
• A rare cancer, or one where the pathology is uncertain
• When treatment has stopped working and you want to know whether other standard options or clinical trials exist
• When you have been offered an unconventional or very expensive therapy and want an independent view

Travelling to Türkiye for this care

Travel can be useful for a second opinion with pathology review, for advanced imaging such as PET-CT, and for a defined block of treatment such as an operation or a radiotherapy course. Cancer treatment, though, often runs for months with urgent side effects in between, so it needs a home oncologist who agrees to share care. Bring your pathology report, slides or blocks, scan images on disc and treatment summaries. Be cautious with anyone who promises a cure or offers a secret or alternative therapy in place of standard treatment. People who are very unwell or need emergency care should be treated locally.

Send your reports, scans and a short history and a Clinic-Y coordinator replies within 24 hours with suitable teams and written, all-inclusive proposals side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

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