Cancer surgery removes the tumor and nearby tissue during an operation. A doctor who treats cancer with surgery is called a surgical oncologist. Surgery is the oldest type of cancer treatment. And it is still effective for many types of cancer today.

There are many reasons to have surgery:

• To diagnose cancer
• To remove all or some of a cancer
• To find out where the cancer is located
• To find out if the cancer has spread or is affecting the functions of other organs in the body
• To restore the body's appearance or function
• To relieve side effects

You may have surgery in a doctor's office, clinic, surgery center, or hospital. Where you have surgery depends on the type of surgery and how much time you need to heal from it. Inpatient surgery means that you need to stay in the hospital overnight or longer to recover after the surgery. Outpatient surgery means that you do not need to stay overnight in the hospital before or after surgery.

Types of surgery

• Laparoscopic surgery
• Laser surgery
• Cryosurgery
• Mohs micrographic surgery, also called microscopically controlled surgery
• Endoscopy

For most types of cancer, a biopsy is the main way to diagnose cancer. During a surgical biopsy, the surgeon makes a cut, called an incision, into the skin. Then, he or she removes some or all of the suspicious tissue.

There are 2 main types of surgical biopsies:

• An incisional biopsy removes a piece of the suspicious area to study.
• An excisional biopsy removes the whole suspicious area, such as a mole or a lump.

After a biopsy, a pathologist examines the tissue that was removed under a microscope. A pathologist is a doctor who interprets lab tests. He or she also looks at cells, tissues, and organs to find disease. The pathologist then gives a pathology report to the oncologist. Next, the oncologist looks at the report and diagnoses the tumor.

Staging. Staging surgery is used to find out the size of the tumor and if or where the cancer has spread. The doctor often also removes some lymph nodes near the cancer to find out if it has spread. Lymph nodes are tiny, bean-shaped organs that help fight infection.

Your health care team uses the results from this surgery and other tests to guide the treatment options. These tests can also help predict a person’s prognosis, which is the chance of recovery. The cancer's stage may also be included Tumor removal, also called curative or primary surgery. Surgery is most commonly used to remove the tumor and some of the nearby healthy tissue. The tissue around the tumor is called the margin.

Tumor removal may be the only treatment. Or it may be used with other treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Journal of Surgery and Anesthesia addresses all aspects of surgery & anesthesia practice, including anesthetic administration, pharmacokinetics, preoperative and postoperative considerations, coexisting disease and other complicating factors, General Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, GI Surgery, Neurosurgery, Plastic Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Urology, Surgical Oncology, Radiology, Ophthalmology, Pediatric Surgery, Trauma Services, Minimal Access Surgery, Endocrine Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Laparoscopic and Endoscopic Techniques and Procedures. Submit manuscripts at https://www.longdom.org/submissions/surgery-anesthesia.html

Media contact

Kate Williams

Editorial Assistant

Journal of Surgery and Anesthesia.

Email: surgery@emedicalsci.com