Surgical oncology is a specialized field of surgery focused on the surgical management of cancer. Surgical oncologists are trained in the surgical treatment of various types of cancer and work closely with other members of the oncology team, including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, and other specialists, to provide comprehensive care to cancer patients. Here are some key aspects of surgical oncology:

Surgical oncology is the field of cancer care that focuses on surgery to diagnose, stage and treat cancer, and to manage some cancer-related symptoms. Surgical oncologists at Synergy Institute of Cancer Care and Research work on a multidisciplinary team of physicians and clinicians to combine surgery with other therapies and procedures required by the patient’s comprehensive plan.

Our surgeons and surgical oncology teams at SICCR have years of experience in performing surgical procedures for many types of cancer, including advanced and complex tumors. Our patient care also includes the use of palliative surgeries to control pain, increase your comfort level and improve your quality of life.

Whether you are a candidate for surgery depends on factors such as the type, size, location, grade and stage of the tumor, as well as general health factors such as your age, physical fitness and any coexisting medical conditions you may have.

Goal of Surgical Oncology:-

  • Diagnose cancer (diagnostic surgery or biopsy)
  • Remove body tissue that may become cancerous (preventive surgery)
  • Restore the body’s appearance or function (reconstructive surgery)
  • Relieve side effects (palliative surgery)
  • Determine where the cancer is located, whether it has spread and whether it is affecting the functions of other organs (staging surgery)
  • Support other types of treatment, such as installing an infusion port (supportive surgery)
  • Remove a tumor or a portion of the cancer.

    Types of Cancer Surgery:-

    There are two primary types of cancer surgery: open surgery and minimally invasive surgery.

    In open surgery, the surgical oncologist will make a large incision, usually to remove all or part of a tumor and some of the surrounding healthy tissue (margins).

    Minimally invasive surgical techniques may involve:

    • Laparoscopy: A surgical oncologist will make a few small incisions and insert a laparoscope—a thin tube with a tiny camera attached to it—into one of the incisions to capture an interior image, while inserting surgical tools into the other incisions to excise malignancies and surrounding tissue.
    • Laser surgery: The surgeon will use a narrow beam of high-intensity light to remove a tumor.
    • Cryosurgery: The surgeon will use liquid nitrogen to freeze and kill cancer cells.

      Other procedures, such as endoscopies, embolization, Micrographic surgery and pleuroscopies, may be performed by non-surgeons, including dermatologists, radiation oncologists and interventional pulmonologists, depending on the procedure.

      Non-surgical treatments may take place before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) or after surgery (adjuvant therapy) to help prevent cancer growth, metastasis or recurrence. The treatments may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy or hormone therapy.

      Cancer treated with Surgical Oncology:-