Surgery

Nearly all patients with cancer will have some kind of surgery.  Surgery may be used to perform a biopsy in order to obtain a specimen for determining an accurate diagnosis, provide local treatment of the cancer, and obtain other information to help determine whether additional treatment is necessary.  Surgical techniques continue to improve, and surgeries are now less invasive, and often are performed on an outpatient basis.

Diagnosis of Cancer

In order to diagnose a cancer, a physician will typically perform a biopsy of a suspicious area, lump or mass suspected of being cancer. A biopsy can be performed on an outpatient basis. During a biopsy, part or all of the suspected cancer is removed and cells contained in the sample are sent to  a pathology laboratory to determine whether cancer is present. Other information obtained from the biopsy sample can play an important role in treatment decisions.   If the biopsy indicates that cancer is present, additional tests to determine the stage of cancer will be performed.   

Cancer Treatment with Surgery

The successful treatment of cancer often requires the involvement and coordination of several different treatment approaches. This is referred to as multi-modality treatment and may consist of surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy.  It is important to understand that surgery is a local treatment and is only capable of treating the cancer cells removed during surgery.  By the time a cancer is diagnosed, many patients will already have experienced spread of cancer cells through the blood and lymph system to other locations in the body. These cancer cells are referred to as micrometastases and currently available tests cannot always detect micrometastases.  Information obtained during surgery and from other tests determines the likelihood of the cancer having spread and whether additional treatment with chemotherapy, radiation, or hormone therapy is necessary.

The following sections may answer additional questions that you have about undergoing surgery.

Useful Terms about Surgery

Frequently Asked Questions About Surgery

Understanding your Pathology Report

Post-Surgical Care