Cancer Surgery Treatments

One of the most common ways of locally treating cancer, in particular solid tumors, is through surgery. Surgeons, medical doctors, are trained to remove cancer from you body during operations.

Below, find answers to popular surgery questions and experiences of surgery shared by The Patient Story community.

Table Of Contents

How is surgery performed?
Types of surgery
Types of anesthesia
Non-cutting surgeries
How surgery destroys cancer
Surgery stories and experiences

How is surgery performed?

Surgery usually requires cuts that go through skin, muscles, and sometimes bone.

Waking up from the procedure can be painful and the time for physical recovery depends on the extensiveness and size of the surgery.

Almost always, you will undergo anesthesia, drugs and other substances that make you lose feeling and/or awareness. This is meant to help prevent you from feeling pain during the operation.

Types of surgery

The many kinds of surgery are assigned based on several factors, including:

Purpose of the surgery
Part of body that requires surgery
Amount of tissue
(Sometimes) Patient preference

Surgery may be (1) open or (2) minimally invasive.

Open surgery: Surgeon makes one large cut in order to remove the tumor, some healthy tissue, possibly close lymph nodes
Minimally invasive surgery (laparascopic): Surgeon makes a couple to a few small cuts. In one of those small cuts, the surgeon inserts a long, thin tube with a tiny camera (laparoscope).

The surgical team sees images of inside the body from the camera, which projects onto a monitor. The surgeon uses that view to remove the tumor, some healthy tissue (margins).
Less time to recover compared to open surgery.

Types of anesthesia

Local anesthesia: Leads to loss of feeling in one targeted area of the body
Regional anesthesia: Leads to loss of feeling in one part of the body (e.g. arm or leg)
General anesthesia: Leads to what feels like a very deep sleep from a total loss of feeling and a loss of awareness

Non-cutting surgeries

Cryosurgery (or cryotherapy): Use of the extreme cold created by liquid nitrogen or argon gas to get rid of abnormal tissue.
- Cancers commonly treated: Early-stage skin cancer, retinoblastoma, precancerous growths on cervix and skin
Lasers: Powerful beams of light cut through tissue in precise
surgeries. The lasers can also shrink and destroy cancerous growths or tumors that may become cancer. Used most commonly on body surface or internal organs’ inside lining.
- Cancers commonly treated: Cervical, vaginal, esophageal, non-small cell lung cancer, basal cell carcinoma, and cervical changes that might turn into cancer.
Hyperthermia: Exposing small areas of body tissue to very high temperatures in effort to damage and destroy cancer cells. Also meant to make the cancer cells more vulnerable to radiation and chemo drugs. Still heavily researched.
Photodynamic Therapy: Using drugs reactive to certain kinds of light. The light activates these drugs to destroy and kill nearby cancer cells. Most used to treat or alleviate symptoms of cancer, including:
- Non-small cell lung cancer, skin cancer

How surgery destroys cancer

The purpose of surgery depends on cancer type and stage (how advanced it is).

Completely remove the cancer: Surgery can be used to remove cancerous growths and tumors in one area.
Debulk a tumor: This is used to remove part of a tumor to help other cancer treatments, especially when trying to remove the entire tumor may cause damage to an organ or to the body.
Alleviate cancer symptoms: Surgery used to help lessen pain or pressure caused by tumors.

Surgery stories and experiences

Hear about different surgeries and experiences from our community of patients and survivors.

Colectomy

Paul K., Rectal Cancer, Stage 3

Symptoms: Frequent bowel movements, loose stools, blood spotting in stool
Treatments: Chemotherapy (CAPOX), radiation, upcoming surgery (colon resection)

...

Maddee M., Colon Cancer, Stage 2

Symptoms: Severe fatigue, burning sensation in the stomach, intermittent lower right abdominal pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, difficulty walking up inclines, anemia
Treatment: Surgery (hemicolectomy & lymphadenectomy)
...

Nick S., Colorectal Cancer, Stage 4A

Symptoms: Change in bowel habits, size & consistency, blood in stool, abdominal pain, fatigue
Treatment: Surgery (sigmoid colectomy), chemotherapy (capecitabine, oxaliplatin), immunotherapy (bevacizumab, pembrolizumab)
...

Shelley B., Colon Cancer, Stage 3B

Symptoms: None; found as a result of routine colonoscopy & endoscopy
Treatment:Partial colectomy, chemotherapy (FOLFOX)
...

Allison R., Colorectal Cancer, Stage 2C

Symptoms: Extreme fatigue, unexplained weight loss, blood in stool, "blockage" feeling after eating
Treatment: Concurrent adjuvant (oral) chemotherapy + radiation, colectomy, oral chemotherapy
...

DIEP Flap

Krista B., IDC, Stage 1A, HR+, HER2-, ATM Mutation

Symptom: None; abnormality detected in breast MRI

Treatments: Surgery (double mastectomy with DIEP flap reconstruction), selective estrogen receptor modulator (tamoxifen)
...

Melissa H., Stage 2B, Triple Negative

Cancer details: Triple negative doesn’t have any receptors commonly found in breast cancer making it harder to treat
1st Symptoms: Lump in left breast
Treatment: Mastectomy, chemotherapy, 2nd mastectomy
...

Gasterectomy

Jeff S., Stomach Cancer, Stage 4

Symptoms: None; found during the evaluation process for kidney donation
Treatments: Surgery (partial gastrectomy & nephrectomy), chemotherapy (oxaliplatin & capecitabine), radiation
...

Alyssa B., Stomach Cancer, Stage 4

Symptoms: Fatigue, elevated resting heart rate, heartburn, difficulty swallowing, weight loss
Treatments: Chemotherapy, surgery (gastrectomy & oophorectomy)
...

Lauren C., Stomach Cancer, Stage 1, CDH1+

Symptoms: Irregular bowel movement (stomach bile), extreme pain eating certain foods or drinking alcohol

Treatment: Total gastrectomy (surgery to remove whole stomach)
...

Lumpectomy

Nina M., Metastatic Breast Cancer

Symptoms: Hardening under the armpit, lump & dimpling in the left breast

Treatments: Chemotherapy, surgery (lumpectomy), radiotherapy, hormone-blocking medication, targeted therapy
...

Anna R., triple positive breast cancer

Symptoms: Lump in breast
Treatment:Surgery (lumpectomy); Hormone therapy (Tamoxifen); Chemotherapy; Radiation
...

Lauren O., IDC, Stage 2A

Symptom: Lump in the right breast
Treatments: Surgery (lumpectomy), chemotherapy (AC-T), steroids, radiation

...

Samantha L., IDC, Stage 4, ER+ PR+ HER2+

Symptoms: Lump in breast
Treatments: Chemotherapy, surgeries, radiation, hormone therapy, targeted therapy
...

Christine E., Stage 3 Triple-Positive

Initial Symptom: Lump in left breast
Treatment: Chemotherapy (AC-T), lumpectomy, radiation
...

Mastectomy

Dee D., Metastatic Breast Cancer, IDC & DCIS, ER+

Symptoms: Inability to produce milk on the left breast while breastfeeding, breast pain (palpable and radiating to the back), lumps in the breast and armpit

Treatments: Chemotherapy (AC-T), surgery (bilateral mastectomy & axillary lymph node clearance), radiotherapy, hormone therapy (Zoladex/goserelin), aromatase inhibitor (letrozole), targeted therapy (Kisqali/ribociclib)
...

Kelsey H., Stage 2B, ER+

Symptom: Slightly tender lump
Treatment: Chemotherapy (Adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, Taxol switched to Abraxane), surgery (double mastectomy with axillary lymph node chain removal), radiation, selective estrogen receptor modulator (tamoxifen), CDK inhibitor (Verzenio), GnRH agonist (Lupron)
...

Erica C., DCIS, Stage 0

Symptoms: Indeterminate calcifications found on a routine mammogram
Treatment: Double mastectomy
...

LaShae R., IDC & DCIS, Stage 2B, ER+

Symptoms: Lump in breast, pain
Treatments: Chemotherapy (Taxotere and cyclophosphamide), proton radiation
...

Orchiectomy

Eve G., Prostate Cancer, Gleason 9

Symptom: None; elevated PSA levels detected during annual physicals
Treatments: Surgeries (robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy & bilateral orchiectomy), radiation, hormone therapy
...

Callan R., Testicular Cancer, Stage 3

Symptom: Lump in right testicle

Treatments: Chemotherapy (cisplatin, doxorubicin, BEP, GemTaxol, TopCaT), surgery (orchiectomy), clinical trial (BNT142)
...

Hugo T., Non-Seminoma, Stage 2B

Age at Diagnosis: 21
1st Symptoms: Pea-sized lump on right testicle
Treatment: Surgical removal of right testicle, lymph node resection, chemotherapy

...

Steve L., Non-Seminoma, Stage 4

Age at Diagnosis: 25
1st Symptoms: Grape-sized tumor on neck; hip and pelvis pain; ultrasound revealed tumor on right testicle
Treatment: Chemotherapy (BEP), removal of right testicle, lymph node resection (RPLND), and tumor dissection in the neck
...

Rick H., Seminoma, Stage 1

Age at Diagnosis: 34
1st Symptoms: Noticed one testicle larger than the other, dull pain
Treatment: Orchiectomy (surgical removal of one testicle), neoadjuvant chemo (1 infusion of Carboplatin)
...

References:

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/surgery