Cancer Treatments
Surgery

Surgery is defined as “a branch of medicine concerned with diseases and conditions requiring or amenable to operative or manuel procedures.”

Surgery is NOT fun, and it’s not cheap. When you have surgery, there is always a chance that there could be problems halfway through the operation. The doctor could mess up, and to say it bluntly, your surgeon could cut the wrong cord or “sew you up” wrong.

Surgery is not meant for all forms of cancer, and sometimes it requires you to take chemotherapy or radiotherapy on top of your operation.

Here are some types or surgery used when dealing with cancer:

• There is such a thing as a DIAGNOSTIC surgery, but you may know it as a BIOPSY. This is where a surgeon removes all or some of your tumor and examines it. This can be done using fine needle aspiration, incisional or excisional biopsy, or in several other ways.
• Preventative surgery is used to prevent cancer. The risk of getting breast and colon cancer can be minimized by using this method.
• Staging surgery is used to determine the amount of cancer someone has.
• Restorative surgery restores body to almost normal function, whereas Palliative surgery only eases the pain a little.
• Supportive surgery helps with other cancer treatments, and curative surgery is just removing the cancer tumor.
• There are also many many others types of surgery to correct cancer caused by smoking such as spinal fusion and rotator cuff surgery.

With every surgery, there is a possibility of error or relapse.

So, think about it, do YOU want anyone cutting you open and pulling out your immune system? Isn't it funny how easily lung cancer is prevented? Isn't it weird how many people would be alive today if it weren't for lung cancer? And isn't it Ironic how many people start smoking every year to "look cool?" How is it cool to be bald in the hospital connected to eighteen thousand tubes? It's not, so don't be a dope.

More information

• MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Surgery and Smoking

• Home
• Tobacco Facts
• What’s in Cigarettes?
• What’s It to Me?
• Treatments
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• Tell Us

This page was created by Tiffany.

Some pages on this website are created and maintained by kids—members of Texas 4-H.

All content is reviewed by Carol Rice, R.N., Ph.D., Professor and Extension Health Specialist, Regents Fellow.

This site has been provided to you by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas 4-H, and the Texas Cancer Council.

Last updated: 9 January, 2008

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