Sometimes, cancer treatment involves surgery. This could be the only treatment, or part of a more comprehensive treatment plan.
Either way, if you are battling cancer and require surgery, you want to ensure that you have the best cancer surgeon in Virginia.
Cancer surgery removes cancerous tumors and nearby tissue in an operation. The doctor who performs these surgeries is called a surgical oncologist, or cancer surgeon.
Surgery is the oldest cancer treatment and is still a very effective treatment for many types of cancer. There are several reasons you might need cancer surgery. Including:
Your surgery may be performed in a doctor’s office, surgery center, clinic, or hospital. This will depend on the type of surgery you need and how much time you will need to heal from it.
Inpatient surgery means that you will need to stay in the hospital overnight or longer to recover. On the contrary, outpatient surgery means there is no need for an overnight stay after the surgery.
For most types of cancer, a biopsy is the most popular way to diagnose the cancer. A surgical biopsy involves the removal of some or all of the suspicious tissues. This may be done in two ways.
First, an incisional biopsy removes a piece of the suspicious area to study. The other option is an excisional biopsy. This removes the entire suspicious area, such a lump or mole.
The biopsy is sent to a pathologist. This is a doctor who interprets lab tests and looks at cells, tissues, and organs to find disease. The pathologist will examine the tissue from your biopsy and send your oncologist a report to diagnose the tumor.
Surgery can also be used to discover the size of the cancer and whether it has spread. This is often done through the removal of lymph nodes near the cancer.
These are tiny bean-shaped organs that help fight infection. Your care team will use the staging results to decide which treatment options are best for you.
Primary Surgery
Also called curative surgery or tumor removal, this is the most common method of removing the tumor and nearby tissue. Removing the nearby healthy tissue is called the margin. Tumor removal may be the only treatment for your cancer, or it may be used in combination with other treatments like chemotherapy or radiation.
Types of Cancer Surgery
Minimally Invasive Cancer Surgery
While cancer surgery does often involve large incisions, sometimes the surgeon can use minimally invasive techniques. This means that instead of one large incision, the procedure is done using smaller incisions. This typically speeds up recovery times and reduces pain during recovery. Below are examples of minimally invasive procedures:
Best Cancer Surgeon in Virginia
If you suspect that you might have cancer, or have been diagnosed with cancer and need surgery, make sure you choose the best cancer surgeon. The providers at Alagsa have the skill and experience to help you through this difficult process. Please contact us today to learn more.
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