Surgical Oncology

Surgery may be part of your cancer treatment plan. We have surgeons at many of our cancer centers that perform cancer operations. We also have surgical oncologists that can perform specialized cancer operations. 

We offer surgical oncology services including:

• Curative surgery: Performed when a tumor appears to be confined to one area and is likely that all of the tumor can be removed. It may be used along with chemotherapy or radiation therapy, which can be given before or after the operation.
• Debulking surgery: Debulking surgery is done when removing all of a tumor would cause too much damage to nearby organs or tissues. Much of the tumor is removed, and the remaining tumor is treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
• Diagnostic surgery: For example, a biopsy. 
  
• Palliative surgery: Used to treat symptoms of advanced cancer. It also may be done to correct a problem that is causing pain or disability.
• Preventive surgery: Removes body tissue that is non-cancerous, but is likely to become cancer. An example is the removal of pre-cancerous polyps in the colon.
• Reconstructive surgery: Restores a person's appearance or the function of a body part. An example is breast reconstruction after mastectomy.
• Staging surgery: Performed to find out how much cancer there is and how far it has spread.
• Supportive surgery: Assists with other types of treatment. An example is surgery to place a catheter for chemotherapy treatments.