Surgical Oncology

Surgical oncology involves the following functions:

• ·         Diagnosis of cancer and determining its stage by taking a biopsy or other methods.
• ·         Surgically removing the tumor or a part of it.
• ·         Surgically remove the tumor along with other affected body parts.
• ·         Reconstruct parts that are affected due to the surgical treatment.

A key player in the provision of multidisciplinary cancer care is a surgical oncologist. They are skilled in handling both straightforward and complicated primary and secondary cancer patients. Surgical oncologists are quite knowledgeable with radiation therapy, chemical and biological therapy, imaging tools, and cancer biology.

The two primary types of cancer surgery are open surgery and minimally invasive surgery.

• ·         In open surgery, the surgical oncologist makes a large incision, usually to remove all or part of a tumor and some of the surrounding healthy tissue (margins).
• ·         Minimally invasive surgical techniques may involve the techniques listed below:

ü  Laparoscopy: A surgical oncologist creates a few tiny incisions, inserts a laparoscope—a thin tube with a tiny camera attached—into one of them to take an inside picture, then uses surgical instruments to remove tumors and surrounding tissue from the other incisions.

ü  Laser surgery: The surgeon uses a narrow beam of high-intensity light to remove a tumor.

ü  Cryosurgery: The surgeon uses liquid nitrogen to freeze and kills cancer cells.

ü  Robotic surgery: Laparoscopic surgery and this procedure are comparable. However the surgeon uses a computer console to control the robotic instruments rather than their hands.

To assist in stopping cancer from growing, spreading, or reoccurring, non-surgical treatments can be used either before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) or after surgery (adjuvant therapy). Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or hormone therapy are possible therapeutic options.