Cancer Surgeries
What is Cancer Surgery?
Cancer surgery is a surgical procedure where the tumour is taken out and possibly some other tissues. It is a common part of diagnosis and treating cancer. A surgeon who is a specialist in treating cancer surgery is called a "surgical oncologist."
What are the different types of cancer surgery?
- Diagnostic Biopsy: A biopsy is the main way to diagnose cancer. There are many types of biopsies. For some types, the doctor will make a small cut in the skin to remove the tissue. A small sample is taken from the surrounding tissues or the entire tumour. Other types of biopsies, which include fine needle aspiration and image-guided biopsies.
- Staging: Staging surgery is done to learn how large and wide the tumour is and how wide it has spread. The doctor removes the entire tumour or takes a sample. They also take lymph nodes near the cancer to know where it has spread. The surgical removal of lymph nodes is also known as lymphadenectomy. The lymph nodes are small organs which help to fight infection. They are the first place where cancer spreads. As imaging scans are more advanced, more and more staging is done using imaging studies like ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs, and X-rays.
- Tumour removal: Removing a tumour from a place is a common type of cancer surgery. It is also known as "resection" or "excision." The doctor usually takes out the tumour and some of the other healthy tissue near it. The tissue which is present around the tumour is called the margin. Tumour removal requires a cut, a larger incision, than a biopsy.
- Debulking: Debulking is a surgical procedure which removes some parts, but not all, of a tumour. The doctor may not always be able to remove the entire tumour as it can damage some other parts of the body or it might turn larger in size. Debulking removes as much of the tumour as possible depending upon the case.
Radiation therapy, Chemotherapy or other treatments might also be given before or after this type of surgery which helps in shrinking the tumour and treating cancer.
- Palliative surgery: The main objective of palliative surgery is to ease side effects which are caused by a tumour. It helps in improving the quality of life if the patients have advanced cancer.
- Reconstructive surgery: Treating cancer changes the way how the patient looks or how the body works. Reconstructive surgery helps with the side effects of cancer treatment. In some cases, depending upon the severity of the patient, reconstructive surgery is done at the same time when the tumour is removed. Or in some cases, the patient needs to wait until it has healed completely before the reconstructive surgery is performed.
- Prevention: A patient might have surgery to lower the risk of getting cancer. For example, if a polyp is found during a colonoscopy procedure, surgery is usually recommended to remove it. This is because if polyps are not removed it can turn into colon cancer.
How is cancer surgery typically performed?
When it's possible, the main objective of cancer surgery is to remove all of the cancer from the body. To perform this, the surgeon uses cutting tools and other types of equipment to remove the cancer and some healthy tissue which is present around it.
What are the risks of cancer surgery?
The risks of surgery will depend on the type of operation a patient is having. Most cancer operations have a risk of:
- Pain in the body
- Infection
- Loss of organ function
- Fatigue
- Bleeding
- Blood clots
- Altered bowel and bladder function
If you are looking for cancer surgery, visit HIMAS Hospital. HIMAS Hospital has experienced surgeons who are experts in performing such surgeries. We have a different section for Cancer patients who serve patients suffering from cancer. HIMAS Hospital is recognized as a leading centre for cancer surgery in Bangalore. We have the latest technology and our utmost priority is our patient safety.
