Understanding Treatments
Surgery Surgery to Cure Cancer
There are many ways that surgery is used
in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
It is helpful to understand the types of
surgeries. In certain cancers, surgery is the best
treatment option for a cure. Curative
surgery involves removing the entire
tumor and sometimes all or part of the
organ in which the tumor is found.
Often, some nearby tissues, including
lymph nodes, are removed at the same
time. A pathologist then examines all of
these tissues to determine if the tumor
has been completely removed.
Surgery to Diagnose Cancer
A surgical biopsy is a way of taking
tissue. This allows the pathologist to
make an accurate diagnosis. There are
several types of biopsies that a surgeon
or interventional radiologist may do.
• Fine-needle or core biopsies can be
done by inserting needles through the
skin to biopsy tumors. This is often
used for breast tumors.
• Endoscopic biopsies are done
with lighted, fl exible scopes that
allow access to organs such as the
esophagus, stomach, colon, lungs, and
bladder.
• Laparoscopy is a surgical procedure
in which a scope is inserted through a
small incision. This allows the surgeon
to see and biopsy organs.
• Surgical incisions may be used to
remove the whole tumor. This is
called an excisional biopsy. When a
part of the tumor is removed, it is an
incisional biopsy.
Surgery to Determine the
Extent of the Tumor
Staging surgery provides useful
information about the extent of the
tumor’s spread. Surgeries that remove
lymph nodes, including those for
lymphoma, breast cancer, and ovarian
cancer, are done mainly for staging
purposes. Accurate staging of a tumor
allows doctors to design the best
treatment plan after surgery. This surgery
may not remove the entire tumor.
Surgery to Reduce
the Size of Tumors
When a tumor cannot be completely
removed, de-bulking surgery may be
done to remove as much of the tumor
as possible. This is done with plans for
further treatment with chemotherapy or
radiation.
Surgery to Relieve
Cancer Symptoms
The main goal of palliative surgery is
to relieve symptoms. In certain cases,
curing the cancer may not be possible,
but symptoms can be relieved.
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