Surgical Oncology Treatment & Techniques  

Surgical oncology is a specialized medical discipline for the treatment of cancer-induced tumors through surgery. There are several methods employed for this purpose, right from surgery and radiation therapy to chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, bone marrow transplants, and targeted drug therapy. Surgical oncology encompasses cancer diagnosis and stage determination through a biopsy or other techniques along with surgical removal of the tumor or a part of the same. It also covers the reconstruction of body parts impacted due to treatment. Here is a closer look at the techniques and treatments used for the same.  

Treatment Choices 

Treatments may include surgery or surgery with a few other options. In some scenarios, surgery is helpful for removing tumors that have formed, while it is not as useful in cases like leukemia or blood cancer where there is no mass that has to be removed. Here are some of the surgery/treatment options:  

• Diagnostic surgery- Tumors or masses in the body may either be harmless or benign. Doctors usually test the same before choosing surgery. A sample has to be first collected and tested for determining its state. This is known as diagnostic surgery and may involve cutting a small tissue area (incisional biopsy) or the whole mass (excisional biopsy). The biopsy may also be performed by only inserting a needle for withdrawing the tissue in question.  

• Preventive surgery- It is also called prophylactic surgery and is done for cancer detection. An oncologist may decide to eliminate pre-cancerous polyps or tissues as a precautionary measure. Mastectomy is a treatment where the breast is removed in case of a higher risk, while the fallopian tubes and ovary are removed in case of high ovarian cancer risks.  
• Staging surgery- It is a procedure performed by an oncologist for understanding the cancer stage. The treatment will be determined the spread of the cancer cells. The surgery helps open up impacted body parts and is done with laparoscopy where there are small incisions done for this purpose.  
• Curative surgery- It is the treatment performed by an oncologist where the cancer cells and impacted body tissues are removed. Sometimes the whole organ or a part of the same may require removal. Surgery and chemotherapy may be used in this case.  
• Reconstructive surgery- Whenever there is surgery, some parts of an organ may require removal. Hence, it will have to be reconstructed under this surgical method. Micro-vascular surgery is the technique of stitching smaller blood vessels together for reconstruction of body parts.  
• Palliative surgery- Advanced-stage cancer may not always be curable. Yet, palliative surgery is often advised for ensuring relief from some cancer symptoms. In case a tumor presses on the nerve and leads to pain, then the tumor can be removed for enabling relief.  

Let us now look at a few surgical oncology techniques below.  

Techniques of Surgical Oncology 

Here are some of the techniques that are used for surgeries:  

• Open surgery- In this technique, a big incision should be made onto the body part which is affected. This helps the surgeon access the cells which are cancerous and remove the same.  
• Laparoscopy- The surgeon makes smaller incisions in this technique before inserting a laparoscope which has a camera. It enables precise surgery and swifter healing.  

• Robotic surgery- Robots are used and controlled by doctors with monitors. It helps access body parts that are difficult to access otherwise.  
• Cryosurgery- Freezing is used for the destruction of cancer cells in this technique. A cold spray/probe is inserted, deploying liquid nitrogen on the cancer cells. It can be used for treatment and preventive surgery alike.  
• Electrosurgery- This technique makes use of electric currents for destroying cancer cells. An electrode is first inserted before delivering current to the cells without impacting the healthy ones.  
• Natural orifice surgery- In this form of surgery, no incisions are required. Rather, the natural body orifice, such as the rectum and mouth, is used for the insertion of a tube which comes with surgical tools. A camera guides the surgeon for removing cancer cells.  
• Laser surgery- Beams are used for the vaporization and elimination of cancer cells. This helps in destroying pre-cancerous cells too.  

As can be seen, surgical oncology has various treatment methods and techniques that should be clearly understood. There are inherent differences and finer nuances for each method that should be identified in this regard.