Surgery is a medical procedure used to examine, remove or repair tissue. It is usually done by cutting into the body. There are many reasons to have surgery for cancer.
Surgery is the most common way to treat cancer. It is often the first step in diagnosis and treatment for a patient. Certain types of cancer may only be treated with surgery, while other types might need surgery plus another type of treatment such as systemic or radiation therapy.
You might have surgery if your Oncologist or Surgeon needs to look at, remove or repair tissue.
To help prevent cancer: Surgery might help lower the risk of getting a certain cancer by removing a growth or a part of the body where cancer is more likely to start.
To diagnose cancer: Surgery might be done to take out a small piece of tissue and test it for cancer. This is called a biopsy. A biopsy is most often the only way to know if a person has cancer and what type of cancer.
To find out the stage of the cancer: Surgery might help find out how much cancer there is and if it has spread.
To treat cancer: Surgery can be done to remove part or all of the cancer. It might be the only treatment needed, or may be used with other treatments like radiation and/or systemic therapy.
To help relieve symptoms: Surgery might also be used to help relieve problems cause by the cancer, like pain or to remove a bowel blockage.
Surgeons (doctors that are trained to do surgery) do their best to limit damage to your body or tissues during surgery. This helps to lower the amount of stress your body goes through.
The type of surgery you need will depend on the type of cancer, where it is in the body, and how big it is. There are two main types of surgeries:
This means a surgeon will make an incision (cut) so they can see the part of the body where the cancer is. This lets the surgeon remove the cancer and protect other organs near the cancer.
This means a smaller incision is made so the surgeon can insert a camera and small instruments. The surgeon will remove the cancer through these cuts. Some surgeons use robotic systems to help with these surgeries.
Your surgeon and their team will let you know what you will need to expect and give you a chance to ask questions. They will then ask you to sign a consent form giving them the permission to do your surgery.
This information has been adapted from the American Cancer Society.
Surgery is used to prevent, diagnose or treat cancer. It can also be used to manage symptoms or problems from cancer.
Surgery can prevent some cancers by removing a polyp or lesion that’s likely to become cancer or by removing part of the body when a person has a high risk of getting cancer there even when there aren’t yet signs of it starting.
To make a correct cancer diagnosis, a small sample of tissue must be taken out and tested. This might be done with a simple procedure called a biopsy, or it might require a more extensive operation to reach the area.
To treat cancer, a surgeon will try to remove as much of it as possible. In some cases, surgery can remove all of the cancer, but often other treatments like radiation therapy or chemotherapy might be needed as well. Sometimes, removing part of the cancer can help with symptoms, even if it can’t be cured.
If your doctor recommends surgery, ask how quickly you need to have it. Some people might need surgery right away, while others may be able to wait. Every surgery is different, so ask your cancer care team what to expect including the type of surgery planned, goal of the surgery, possible risks, how long you might need to be in the hospital, what other treatments might be needed.
To get ready for surgery, tell your cancer care team all the medicines, vitamin supplements, or other drugs you’re taking. They might tell you to stop taking some of them before surgery. You might also need to have some tests, like bloodwork or chest X-ray, and you probably will be told to stop eating and drinking at a certain time before surgery. For some kinds of surgery, you might need to take a laxative or enema beforehand to make sure your bowels are empty. Ask your cancer care team about any special instruction you need to follow.
Also, ask what to expect after surgery, such as special instructions or precautions to follow at home, what to eat, when to go back to your usual activities, what medicines to take and how often, side effects to watch for, symptoms to call the health care team about, how to get in touch with them after hours, when you need to see the doctor again.
Not everyone will have the same side effects. The most common is pain. Other possible side effects are infection, bleeding, blood clots, damage to nearby tissues or other organs, nausea and vomiting.
To learn more, visit cancer, mortgage treatment or call the American Cancer Society helpline at 800-227-2345 to speak with a cancer information specialist.