Surgical Oncology – types of surgeries

1.Diagnostic surgery

Tumors and masses can be formed in the body. In most cases, these may be benign or harmless. Doctors would like to avoid risks and may want to test the masses before deciding. As a result, a sample of the mass needs to be collected and sent for testing to determine if it is cancerous or not. 

2.Preventive surgery

This is also known as prophylactic surgery and the goal is to prevent cancer. It’s possible that polyps or precancerous tissues are detected during diagnosis. While these are not cancerous tumors, a surgical oncologist may decide to remove these tissues as a preventive measure.

3.Staging surgery

This is a surgical procedure done by a surgical oncologist to determine the stage of cancer. Treatment for cancer depends on how much cancer cells have spread. A staging surgery may be done to open up the affected parts and find out the extent of cancer. 

4.Curative surgery

This is the actual treatment done by a surgical oncologist. Once the presence of cancer is confirmed and the stage decided, a surgery is done to remove cancer cells and other affected body tissues. 

5.Reconstructive surgery

When surgery is carried out, a part of an organ may be removed. It would be required to reconstruct the body to restore body parts, this is known as reconstructive surgery.