Types of Surgeries Used in Cancer Treatment

Even though people use cancer as an “umbrella term” for every different type of cancer, not all cancers are truly the same. Every type of cancer has different originating points: some cancers originate from the usage of tobacco products, some cancers originate from being near radioactive material, and some cancers originate from growing cell tumors. If a certain type of cancer originates from the formation of a cell tumor, then surgery can be an overall successful treatment in getting rid of the cancer from the patient’s body.

A tumor is a clump of cells (can be large or small) when cells of the body reproduce too quickly. Under the different types of surgeries used to treat tumors, it is very important to go over the different types of tumors that can occur. There are three different types of tumors that can occur: benign, premalignant, and malignant. Benign tumors are not cancerous, and they do not spread or grow over time. Premalignant tumors are not cancerous, but have the potential to be cancerous if not removed within due time. Malignant tumors are cancerous tumors, which can grow and spread to other parts of the body as well.

Additionally, there are also different types of Malignant tumors (cancerous tumors): Carcinoma, Sarcoma, Germ cell, and Blastoma. Malignant tumors differ in their rate of growth and harmfulness depending on where the tumors form in the body. Carcinoma tumors normally form in organs such as the stomach, prostate, pancreas, lungs, etc. Carcinoma tumors are the most common type of Malignant tumors. Sarcoma tumors usually form in cartilage, bones, nerves, etc. Germ cell tumors usually develop in reproductive organs (such as the ovaries), but can develop in the brain, abdomen, or chest. Blastoma tumors usually develop in developing cells (such as embryonic cells). Blastoma tumors are the most common types of Malignant tumors found in children.

There are many different specialized surgeries to choose from to treat malignant tumors.

→ Cryosurgery is when the cancer surgeon uses cold material, such as liquid nitrogen, to freeze and destroy the cancer cells. It is most often used to treat malignant tumors involved with skin cancer and cervical cancer.

→ Electrosurgery is when the cancer surgeon applies high-frequency electrical currents to kill and/or destroy the cancer cells. It is most often used to treat malignant tumors with skin cancer and oral cancer.

→ Laser Surgery is when the cancer surgeon uses high-intensity beams of light to shrink the size of the cancer cells. It is only used to treat malignant tumors with cancers in hard to reach places in the body, such as the skin, cervix, rectum, and larynx.

→ Mohs Surgery is when the cancer surgeon uses a scalpel to “carefully remove the cancer layer by layer.”1 The cancer surgeon continues to remove each layer until all the cancer cell and tissue has been removed from the tumor. It is only used when malignant tumors are present in extremely delicate areas of the body, such as the eye.

Although surgeries intended to remove malignant tumors have higher than average success rates, there are many more advantages and disadvantages to consider before deciding to go through with surgery for cancer treatment. Going through with surgery often reduces the symptoms of the cancer immediately for the cancer patient. Surgery also allows the patient to remove all of the cancerous cells/tumors in one setting (most of the time). On the other hand, one big disadvantage of treating malignant tumors with surgery is that it often leads to the damaging or removal of other important tissue (such as plasma, or calf muscle), which can lead to more medical problems for the cancer patient in the future during the surgical recovery period and after. It is important to look at both of the advantages and disadvantages when deciding whether or not to go with surgery to treat the malignant tumor.

Even with all of these surgical options mentioned, there are still many different types of surgical treatments that were not discussed in this article. Similar to other cancer treatments (such as chemotherapy), surgery treatment is often personalized to the specific situation of each cancer patient. There are a variety of ways and methods through which surgery treatment can remove cancerous tumors. It all depends on what the cancer patient wants, and more importantly, needs.

Sources:

https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-treatments/c/cancer-surgery/types.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/in-depth/cancer-surgery/art-20044171 (1)

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249141

https://www.cancerquest.org/patients/treatments