Surgery can be used in many ways to treat cancer patients. It offers the best chance for cure in cancers that have not spread to other parts of the body, but it can also be used in cancer diagnosis, staging, and supportive care. Surgery as a treatment option will differ for every patient depending on the type of surgery, the specific cancer, and the general health of the patient.
Different Types of Surgery Used in Cancer Treatment
There are several types of surgery used in cancer treatment. In some cases these surgical procedures will be used in combination with other cancer treatments. Below is a list and brief explanation of surgical procedures commonly used to treat cancer:
- Preventive Surgery
Preventive surgery is used to remove non-cancerous tissue that has a high risk of developing into a cancerous tumor. An example of this would be the removal of precancerous polyps to prevent colon cancer.
- Diagnostic Surgery
Diagnostic surgery is used in order to find out whether or not abnormal cells are cancerous. The suspicious tissue sample will be sent to a lab to confirm the diagnosis of cancer, the exact type of cancer, and determine the stage of the cancer. This information will also determine the type of treatment recommended.
- Staging Surgery
While lab results help confirm a diagnosis of cancer, staging surgery helps doctors to establish a more accurate assessment of how far the cancer has spread within the body. This assessment is extremely important in determining the type of treatment used.
- Curative Surgery
The goal of curative surgery is to remove a tumor that is confined to a specific part of the body. This type of treatment is often referred to as primary treatment. Curative surgery may be used alone or with other types of cancer treatment, such as radiation or chemotherapy in order to prevent a recurrence.
- Debulking Surgery
Debulking surgery is used when a tumor cannot be removed completely because removal of the tumor may cause too much damage to an organ or surrounding areas. In this case the surgeon will remove as much of the tumor as possible and treat the remaining area with radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
- Palliative Surgery
In advanced stages of cancer palliative surgery is used to relieve pain and discomfort caused by the tumor or treatments used to treat the tumor. This type of surgery does not work as a cure for the cancer.
- Supportive Surgery
Similar to palliative surgery, supportive surgery does not work to cure cancer. Supportive surgery is used to help aid other types of cancer treatment. An exampled of supportive surgery would be the placement of a port or catheter into a large vein to deliver chemotherapy treatment or draw blood for testing. This helps to reduce the amount of needle sticks.
- Restorative Surgery
Restorative surgery is used to restore the patient's appearance or the function of a body part following other surgeries. An example of restorative surgery would include breast reconstruction after the removal of the breast for breast cancer.
For more information on surgery you can access Huntsman Cancer Institute's HOPE guide located at www.huntsmancancer.org, or contact the Learning Center at (801) 581-6365.
