Surgical Treatment of Cancer
Surgical Treatment for cancer or Surgical oncology refers to the surgical treatment and recovery from cancer. The principle of cancer surgery varies and is used for reasons as follows:
- Cancer diagnosing
- Removing cancer or tumor cells from specific areas
- Locating the presence of cancer cells
- Screening the outspread of cancer cells affecting any specific organ
- Reestablish organ functions
- Remove any side effects
The location and extent of surgery depends on the type of cancer, its spread in the body and how much can be removed from the body and recovered after the surgery.
Surgical Treatment of Cancer
Types of Surgery for Cancer
The conventional surgery method includes:
Diagnostic
Biopsy is the method to diagnose any type of cancer. In a surgical biopsy the surgeon makes an incision in the location suspected to have cancer cells and obtain sample tissue from the abnormal tissue growth. The surgical biopsy can be classified into incisional and excisional biopsy. During incisional biopsy only a part of the tissue is removed. While in excisional biopsy, the entire abnormal growth of tissue is removed and sends for further investigation. This include lumps or mole.
The sample obtained from biopsy is send to a pathologist who is trained in interpreting reports from laboratory tests on cells and organs.
Staging
Staging is the process in which the surgeon examine the spread and size of tumor cells in the body. During the staging surgery, lymph nodes are moved from the area of cancer cells to observe the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.
Once the diagnosing and staging of cancer cells are performed, primary surgery is performed to remove the tumor cells from the body. During the surgery the abnormal cell growths and the tissues adjacent to the tumor are removed. These tissues are called as margin. Surgeries can also combine with other methods of treatments such as Chemotherapy and Radiation therapy
During the surgery a large incision is made in the location of cancer. The incision cuts through the skin and muscles and remove the abnormal cell growths from the location. During the surgery if the surgeon is not able to remove the entire growth of cells then debulking is performed. Debulking is performed when the removal of tumor cells can cause damage to adjacent organs. The remaining part of cancer cells are removed or destroyed using radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
Palliation
Palliation surgery involves treatment to recover from the side effects of tumor. This includes surgery to reduce the pain and restore the function of the organ, removing blocks from bowels, stopping bleeding etc.
Reconstruction
Reconstruction surgery is to regain the normal shape of the body after the primary surgery. It is more popularly known as plastic surgery to reconstruct patient’s shape and appearance after removing tumors from the body.
Apart from the conventional methods of surgery there are also minimal invasive surgery such as laparoscopic surgery, laser surgery, cryosurgery, microscopically controlled surgery and endoscopy.
Greenview medical centre is a multispecialty hospital with well equipped infrastructure and have an expert team of doctors and surgeons to help you to recover from any medical conditions and to stay fit and healthy. We have the best medical infrastructure and medical utilities to provide all round care and support to the patients. For any queries related to surgical oncology contact us.