Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear Medicine is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. There are several options for this application in the treatment of inoperable cancers.
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery, or neurological surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the preven-tion, diagnosis, surgical treatment and rehabili-tation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal column, spinal cord, central and peripheral nervous system, and cerebrovascular system. Conditions that require neurosurgery may be trauma-related, for example injury to the head and spine where there is internal bleeding (cer-ebral aneurysms) or meningitis, a bacterial or viral infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Procedures are also available to treat degenera-tive diseases like Parkinson disease.
Interventional Radiology
Interventional radiology, a sub-speciality of di-agnostic radiology uses minimally-invasive im-age-guided procedures to diagnose and treat diseases in nearly every organ system. Imaging techniques such as x-ray, CT Scan, MRI and ultrasound help to diagnose and treat pa-tients using minimally invasive procedures. Interventional Radiology is sometimes also known as vascular and interventional radiology.
Internal Medicine
Internal Medicine is concerned with the diagno-sis and non-surgical treatment of disorders of the heart, lungs, the liver and gastro-intestinal tract, the kidneys and urinary tract, the brain, the spinal column, nerves, muscles and joints. Many common diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer can affect several internal organs of the body. Serious diseases can be difficult to diagnose as the symptoms may be similar to those of other illnesses and might not show symptoms until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage.
Infectious Diseases
Infectious diseases are disorders caused by organisms — such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. Many organisms that live in and on our bodies are normally harmless and may even be helpful. But under certain conditions, some organisms may cause disease.
Some infectious diseases are passed from person to person. Some are transmitted by insects or other animals. And you may get others by consuming contaminated food or water or being exposed to organisms in the environment.
Signs and symptoms vary depending on the organism causing the infection, but often include fever and fatigue. Mild infections may respond to rest and home remedies, while some life-threatening infections may need hospitalization.
Hepatology
Hepatology is a specialty that deals with the diagnosis, and treatment of liver diseases. Liver is a major organ that deals with nutrition, lipid control, immunity, removing toxins from your body, therefore a hepatologist can screen and manage patients with fatty liver, viral hepatitis, autoimmune liver disease and whether there is liver damage from significant alcohol or medication use.
Hematology
Hematology is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. Blood disorders can be acute or chronic and include anaemia, bleeding disorders and blood clots. They can also be inherited, due to disease and side effects of medicines, and from diet deficiencies. Includes the management of bone marrow which produces bone marrow stem cells and other substances; which in turn produce blood cells.
Head & Neck Surgery
Head & neck surgery is a subspecialty surgical discipline dealing with both benign lumps and cancers found in the upper aerodigestive tract, including skin lumps in the head and neck region. Cancerous lumps and skin malignancies usually require surgery; oftentimes even the lumps that are benign; as they can potentially turn cancerous or cause compression on the vital structures in the upper aerodigestive tract. Ablative surgery carefully done to ensure good clearance of the cancer may have to be accompanied by reliable reconstructive surgery to ensure good recovery of form and function for the patient. As the head and neck region is responsible for form and many functions (swallowing, speech, breathing, etc), surgery in this area can be challenging.
General Surgery (Vascular)
Vascular surgery is a surgical subspecialty in which diseases of the vascular system, or arteries, veins and lymphatic circulation, are man-aged by medical therapy, minimally-invasive catheter procedures, and surgical reconstruc-tion. Vascular disease is caused by inflammation and weakness of the veins and arteries; and by the build up of fatty deposits in the blood vessels Often life-saving procedures are unexpectedly needed during a surgery. Surgery is performed to clear blockages in the blood system to pre-vent strokes and aneurysms; usually due to ageing and degeneration. Other reasons for surgery include injury and trauma, conditions like cancer, and diabetes. Angioplasty and stents placement are two ways to open blocked peripheral arteries.
General Surgery (Liver, Pancreas, Biliary)
Hepatobiliary surgery includes surgery of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and bile ducts. It is a branch of medicine called hepatology that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases like cancer affecting those organs. Surgery range from liver resection to remove scarring or cirrhosis in the liver; to that of half of a diseased liver. The remaining liver regener-ates itself over a period of time; though re-stricted by the extent of prevailing disease. Thus the criteria for a resection procedure is determined by the level of cirrhosis present. Pancreatic and delicate bile duct repair is also carried out by a hepatobiliary surgeon.
Liver transplant; for patients suffering from end-stage liver disease in which the liver has become damaged beyond repair is carried out by replacement with part of a healthy liver tak-en from a donor during major surgery. Both pa-tient and donor is evaluated and assess via a stringent process overseen by an Ethical Com-mittee. Recovery process can take up to six months or more.
