Cancer Surgery

Cancer surgery is a procedure performed by a surgical oncologist to remove cancerous tumors and surrounding tissue. It is one of the oldest and most effective forms of cancer treatment, particularly for solid tumors that have not spread to other parts of the body.

Reasons for Cancer Surgery

Surgery is used for various purposes in the context of cancer care:

• Diagnosis and Staging: A surgical biopsy is often performed to remove a tissue sample for a pathologist to examine under a microscope. This confirms the presence of cancer, identifies its type, and helps determine its stage (size and spread).

• Primary Treatment: This is known as "curative surgery." The goal is to remove the entire tumor along with a margin of healthy tissue around it to ensure all cancer cells are gone. In some cases, this may be the only treatment needed.

• Debulking: When a tumor is too large or located in a way that makes complete removal dangerous, a surgeon may perform "debulking surgery" to remove as much of the cancer as possible. The remaining cancer is then treated with other therapies like chemotherapy or radiation.

• Palliative Care: For advanced cancers that are not curable, surgery may be used to improve a patient's quality of life by relieving symptoms. For example, it can be used to remove a tumor that is causing pain or blocking an organ.

• Prevention: "Prophylactic surgery" is performed to remove tissue that is not yet cancerous but is at a high risk of becoming so. This is often an option for individuals with a strong family history or genetic mutations (like BRCA1 or BRCA2) that increase their cancer risk.

• Reconstruction: After a cancer-removal surgery (e.g., a mastectomy), reconstructive surgery can be performed to restore the body's appearance and function.

Surgical Techniques

Cancer surgery has evolved from traditional open surgery to more advanced, minimally invasive techniques:

• Open Surgery: This is a conventional operation that involves making a single, large incision to directly access and remove the tumor.

• Minimally Invasive Surgery: This includes techniques like laparoscopic surgery and robotic surgery. Surgeons make a few small incisions and use a camera and specialized instruments to perform the operation. This often results in less pain, smaller scars, and a faster recovery.

• Specialized Techniques:

  • Cryosurgery: Uses extreme cold from liquid nitrogen or argon gas to freeze and destroy cancer cells.

  • Laser Surgery: Uses powerful beams of light to cut through tissue or destroy tumors.

  • Mohs Surgery: A precise technique for skin cancer where the surgeon removes one thin layer of skin at a time and examines it under a microscope until no cancer cells are found.

  • Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): Uses high-energy radio waves to heat and kill cancer cells.