Uses
Surgery in cancer is used to:
Lower the risk of cancer developing
- called preventative or prophylactic surgery
- tissue is removed that is not cancerous but is likely to turn into cancer (precancerous conditions)
- an entire organ or large amounts of tissue are removed when a person has an inherited condition that makes their chance of developing cancer very high
Diagnose or stage cancer
- tissue samples are tested to help identify cancer and confirm a cancer diagnosis. Several surgical techniques can be used to obtain a biopsy sample.
- surgical staging or exploratory surgery is used to assess how far cancer has spread. This may include finding out if cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. It can be done at the same time as surgery to remove a tumour.
Treat cancer
- the best way to treat most solid tumours. Some tumours may involve vital body structures or be difficult to get to.
- if cancer has spread or cannot be totally removed, surgery can reduce the bulk of the tumour (debulking or cytoreductive surgery) so additional treatments will be more effective. This is only done for specific types of tumours.
- often done in combination with other cancer therapies
Support the delivery of other cancer treatments by placing
Reconstruct or rehabilitate
- to restore the function to part of the body, such as an ostomy
- to restore appearance, such as breast reconstruction after a mastectomy
- to help a wound heal, such as a muscle or skin flap
Palliate or relieve symptoms
- to control symptoms such as pain, blockages or bleeding and improve the quality of the person's life. The risks and benefits of doing surgery are considered carefully, especially when the overall goal is to control symptoms (palliative) rather than curing the person.