Surgery
When Is Surgery Necessary?
Although most patients will have a biopsy performed,
not all cancers require surgical treatment. Some
cancers are best treated with chemotherapy or radiation
therapy, or both. In some instances, the cancer may
be too big or too difficult to remove with surgery.
Your health care team will work with you to decide whether surgery
is part of your overall treatment plan. If surgery is necessary,
you will undergo a number of tests to determine whether you are
an appropriate candidate for surgery.
Diagnosing Cancer With Surgery
One common type of surgery used to help with diagnosing cancer
is a biopsy.
- A biopsy means taking a tissue sample from your body for
examination by a specialist in a laboratory.
- A positive biopsy indicates the presence of cancer.
- A negative biopsy may indicate that no cancer is
present in the sample.
When surgery is used for treatment, the cancer and some tissue
adjacent to the cancer are typically removed. In addition to providing
local treatment of the cancer, information gained during surgery
is useful in predicting the likelihood of cancer recurrence and
whether other treatment modalities will be necessary.
Over the years, continuing advances in surgery have led to less
invasive, less complicated, and safer procedures. As a result,
some surgeries previously requiring hospitalization are now performed
safely in an outpatient setting.
Other types of surgeries are used to treat cancer once it has been
diagnosed. Surgery is not without risk or side effects. To play
an active role in your treatment, learn more about the
types and risks of surgery.
In addition to surgery, chemotherapy is another way to treat
cancer. Learn more about treating
cancer with chemotherapy.
UNDERSTANDING CANCER
TREATING CANCER WITH CHEMOTHERAPY
CHEMOTHERAPY SIDE EFFECTS
TREATING CANCER IN OTHER WAYS
TRACKING YOUR TEST RESULTS
UNDERSTANDING INSURANCE AND TAX ISSUES: INSURANCE TIPS
WEB RESOURCES AND ORGANIZATIONS
TOOLS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR CANCER INFORMATION
FOR CAREGIVERS
GLOSSARY OF CANCER TERMS
REGISTER FOR PROGRAMS
FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
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