Treatment of Cancer

Abstract

Surgery, the oldest cancer treatment, is a mainstay in the cure and control of most cancers. Indeed, for many patients, surgery, usually in combination with chemotherapy, is the only hope for long-term survival or cure. But surgery can do more than treat cancer; it can also diagnose cancer (diagnostic surgery), investigate cancer further (staging surgery), debulk tumors (debulking surgery), relieve pain (palliative surgery), prevent cancer from occurring in the first place (preventative surgery), restore the appearance or function of the body after cancer surgery (reconstructive surgery) and help medical staff to administer chemotherapy (access surgery). This chapter looks at each of these purposes of cancer surgery in detail.&nbsp;<br>