At MaineHealth, our cancer surgeons offer experience, top skills and the best technology for your procedure. Cancer surgery is a vital modality of cancer treatment and one of the most common treatments for cancer. It is used to treat many different kinds of cancer.
What is cancer surgery?
Cancer surgery means that your doctor will cut out or reduce the tumor size in your body or remove the area of your body that has the cancer cells (like your breast or colon). Smaller surgical procedures may also be required to establish a diagnosis only. Treatment of many cancers often involves cancer surgery; some of the most common are listed but virtually any tumor type can entail surgery at some time in the course of an illness:
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Brain cancer
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Breast cancer
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Lung cancer
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Colon cancer
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Prostate cancer
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Skin cancer
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Soft tissue sarcoma
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Gynecology oncology (cervical, uterine and endometrial)
Are there side effects of cancer surgery?
Cancer surgeries are different depending on where your cancer is and how invasive your doctor says it will be. Some of the side effects could be any of the following:
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Bleeding
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Infections
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Pain
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Trouble going to the bathroom
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Not feeling hungry, or losing weight
Are there complications of cancer surgery?
Some cancer surgeries can cause new health problems. Talk with your doctor about your concerns to learn what specific risks apply to you. Here are a few more common risks:
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If an organ is removed or hurt during the surgery, it could stop doing the job it’s supposed to do
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You may be more likely to have a blood clot
