Hematology is the study, diagnosis and treatment of benign blood diseases including anemia, platelet disorders and bleeding disorders, as well as cancerous diseases such as Hodgkin’s Disease and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, leukemias and multiple myeloma.
A physician who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention or investigation of blood disorders is a hematologist. A hematologist has trained in a subspecialty program approved by the American Board of Internal Medicine or the American Board of Pediatrics, or has acquired a comparable education in the field by alternate means, and is Board Certified (or eligible) in the subspecialty of hematology.
Your hematologist works in concert with the other members of your care team to tackle disorders of red and white blood cells and platelets, disorders of the regulation and function of the hemostatic system, and tumors—benign or malignant—of the bone marrow and lymphatic system. A hematologist will diagnose and treat these diseases with medical history, physical findings, clinical laboratory testing and evaluation using tissue or cytological specimens.
In addition to therapeutic measures common to all medical specialties, a hematologist might suggest a number of other therapies, including:
- Blood products and derivatives
- Blood processing
- Chemotherapy and other anti-tumor agents
- Supportive care (including pain management)
- Anticoagulants and antithrombotic agents
- Progenitor cell therapies (including stem cell therapies)
We’ve prepared the following resources for you and your family/caregiver to better understand blood diseases.