Foundation For Metabolic Cancer Therapies - Home Today there are three branches of oncology Surgical oncology removing tumors surgicallyRadiation oncology targeting tumors with radiationMedical oncology systemic therapies that target cancer cells Decades of research has slowly been building toward a fourth branch of oncology metabolic oncology. While the current three branches of oncology attempt to remove or kill cancer cells metabolic oncology targets the environment in which cancer cells are living depriving them of the growth factors inflammatory cytokines and energy that promotes cancer growth. In this way metabolic oncology aims to prepare or condition the patient to respond to the traditional three branches of oncology with fewer side effects and better outcomes. The Science of Metabolic Oncology Starving Cancer of the Fuels it Needs to Thrive.