Surgical Oncology

Goal of Surgical Oncology

Surgical oncology is the specialized field of surgery in which surgeons diagnose, stage and treat cancer. Usually, surgical oncologists work as part of a multidisciplinary team with other cancer specialists to deliver care. For example, medical oncology often uses chemotherapy drugs, while radiation oncology relies on various modes of radiation therapy. Many cancers require more than one modality of treatment, mainly when the intention is a radical treatment of the disease. In such situations, surgical oncologists work on a multidisciplinary team of physicians and clinicians to combine surgery with other therapies and procedures required by the patient’s comprehensive plan.

Patient care also sometimes require the use of palliative surgeries to control pain, bleeding or mass effect of various tumours to increase the comfort level and improve the quality of life.

There are many reasons, someone, with or suspected of having cancer may undergo surgery. Surgical oncology may be used to:

Diagnose cancer (diagnostic biopsy)
Remove a tumor Radically with an intent of curative surgery
Remove a portion of the cancer (palliative or debulking surgery)
Determine where the cancer is located, whether it has spread and whether it is affecting the functionof other organs (staging surgery)
Restore the body's appearance or function (reconstructive surgery)

How is cancer Surgery Performed

Cancer Surgery may be performed as
an open surgery or
minimally invasive surgery.
In open surgical technique, the procedure is performed by making an incision, usually to remove all the tumours with clear margins or part of a tumour.

Other procedures, such as endoscopies, embolization, and pleuroscopies, may be performed by non-surgeons, depending on the procedure.

Non-surgical treatments may take place before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) or after surgery (adjuvant therapy) to help prevent cancer growth, metastasis or recurrence. The treatments may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy or hormone therapy.