Cancer Treatment

Surgery is the main method of treating most types of cancer. Cancer surgery chiefly involves taking out the tumor while minimizing the removal of healthy surrounding tissue. Surgeons work closely with a pathologist (expert on tissue changes) who can examine tissue during the surgery to determine if the tumor has been completely removed.

Surgeons may also cut out additional tissue that appears healthy. For example, breast cancer may be treated with a lumpectomy, an operation that removes the cancerous lump and a margin of the normal tissue surrounding it. Neighboring lymph nodes may also be removed and examined for signs of cancer. Although these nodes may appear normal, they might contain cancer cells that could travel to other parts of the body.