If I Am Referred to a Hematologist, Do I Have Cancer?

What Is a Hematologist?

A hematologist is a doctor who specializes in the field of science and medicine that focuses on blood. Its name comes from the Greek word, heme, which means blood. The doctors study blood cells and components, blood-forming organs such as bone marrow, and the lymphatic system. It also studies conditions that affect them, including cancers and non-malignant disorders.

All hematologists have completed at least nine years of training, including a three-year residency and a four-year fellowship (subspecialty training). This education gives them an in-depth understanding of blood and blood disorders. They apply this knowledge to providing diagnoses and cutting-edge treatments.

Hematologists are not the same as oncologists, or cancer doctors. However, many cancer types start in the blood or lymph systems, so there is a natural overlap between the fields. For this reason, some hematologists complete additional training in oncology. These doctors are known as hematologist oncologists and are experts in cancers of the blood.

What Do Hematologists Do?

Hematologists and hematologist oncologists work in hospitals, clinics, blood banks, and other healthcare settings. They provide a variety of medical services related to blood. These services can be divided into four main categories:

• Diagnosis: Hematologists perform physical exams, blood tests, and other diagnostic procedures to identify conditions that affect the blood and related structures.
• Monitoring: Repeated appointments and blood tests are used to monitor a patient’s health, helping doctors determine whether treatment is working.
• Treatment: Hematologists work with other medical specialists to develop a personalized treatment plan for blood disorders and other health conditions.
• Research: Some hematologists conduct studies, write papers, and contribute to efforts to improve medical understanding of blood disorders.

Some hematologists are generalists, meaning they work with all types of blood disorders. Others choose to focus on a specific condition for a greater depth of knowledge.

Does Seeing a Hematologist Mean I Have Cancer?

People may be sent to a hematologist for any number of reasons. While it may be related to a serious disease like cancer, it is more often for evaluation. The individual’s primary care physician may wish to draw upon the hematologist’s expertise to investigate something irregular. For example, a routine blood test may have returned abnormal results. Or, the individual may be experiencing symptoms of a blood disorder, such as:

• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations
• Excessive bleeding
• Nosebleeds
• Excessive clotting

In many cases, testing will rule out a blood disorder. If one is diagnosed, however, the hematologist will have the in-depth knowledge to treat it. The hematologist will work with the patient’s primary care physician to develop a personalized treatment plan. Overall, seeing a hematologist does not always indicate cancer.

Benign Blood Disorders

Not all blood conditions are caused by cancer. Some disorders are benign, meaning they are non-malignant or non-cancerous. Many benign hematology conditions are easy to manage once correctly diagnosed. RCCA offers treatment and management services for the following:

• Anemia: This blood disorder is characterized by a low red blood cell count, impeding the blood’s ability to carry oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.
• Blood clotting disorders: Blood clots are normally triggered by injuries and act as a natural defense. When they form within the body, however, they can lead to serious complications.
• Bleeding disorders: The opposite of clotting disorders, these conditions prevent blood from clotting normally. They can potentially result in excessive blood loss.
• Hemochromatosis: This is a hereditary disorder that causes blood to absorb too much iron from food. The excess iron is stored in organs, creating complications with their functions.

Malignant Blood Disorders

RCCA also treats a variety of blood cancers, or malignant blood disorders. These are cancer types that originate in the white or red blood cells, bone marrow, or lymphatic system. Malignant disorders treated at RCCA include:

• Leukemia: This cancer begins in bone marrow and lymph nodes and causes blood cells to divide out of control. The cancerous cells eventually crowd out healthy blood cells.
• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): AML attacks the stem cells that create white blood cells, preventing white blood cells from fully maturing to perform their function in fighting infection.
• Hodgkin lymphoma: This cancer type starts in white blood cells. If not diagnosed and treated early, it can quickly invade the body.
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: Similar to Hodgkin lymphoma, this cancer type attacks the white blood cells. It typically spreads slowly but can be aggressive as well.
• Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs): MPNs are rare cancers that form in the bone marrow, causing overproduction of blood cells. Left unchecked, they can alter the blood thickness.
• Myelodysplastic syndrome: This is a common disorder that prevents blood cells from maturing, leading to an abundance of immature blood cells.
• Aplastic anemia: This cancer type prevents the body from producing enough new blood cells, reducing the blood’s ability to carry oxygen and nutrients.
• Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria: This cancer attacks stem cells, causing them to produce cells without their protective proteins. This results in destroyed blood cells.
• Multiple myeloma: Also called Kahler disease, this cancer creates an abundance of abnormal plasma cells that crowd out healthy white and red blood cells.

Infusion Therapy

Hematologists may also assist with treating cancer types that don’t begin in the blood. Infusion therapy is a treatment type performed by hematologists. It refers to any treatment delivered by an intravenous injection. RCCA provides multiple types of infusion therapy for cancer patients, including:

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a type of infusion therapy that uses strong drugs. The chemo drugs travel quickly through the bloodstream to attack and kill fast-growing cells. This can effectively kill cancer or stop it from spreading. Chemotherapy will also attack fast-growing cells that aren’t cancerous, however, which is why some patients experience temporary hair loss as a side effect.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy is another drug-based infusion therapy. This treatment targets cells with certain characteristics, allowing it to destroy cancer cells with greater precision while leaving healthy cells alone. Some types of targeted therapy work by attacking proteins found only in cancer cells. Others, called hormone therapy, work by suppressing hormones that cancers use to grow.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is an infusion therapy that empowers the patient’s immune system to fight cancer. Because cancers originate in the body, the immune system does not recognize them as a threat. Immunotherapy modifies immune cells to identify and attack cancer cells. It also gives the immune system a boost, giving it the strength it needs to fight off cancer effectively.

Learn More About Hematologists at Regional Cancer Care Associates

Hematologists play an important role in diagnosing and treating cancer, as well as other hematology conditions. Seeing a hematologist does not always mean you have cancer, as the specialists at Regional Cancer Care Associates treat a wide variety of benign blood disorders as well. RCCA specialists provide care to more than 30,000 new patients and 265,000 established patients each year. RCCA physicians offer patients innovative therapies, including immunotherapies and targeted therapy, cutting-edge diagnostics as well as access to approximately 300 clinical trials in community-based centers close to home.