Surgical Oncology Singapore
The overarching field of oncology has a number of ways to diagnose and treat cancer. Medical oncology often uses chemotherapy drugs to attack the cancer, while radiation oncology relies on various forms of radiation therapy.
Surgical oncology is the field of cancer care that focuses on surgery to diagnose, stage and treat cancer, and to manage some cancer-related symptoms. Surgical oncologists work with multidisciplinary teams of physicians and clinicians to investigate, diagnose and carry out surgical procedures with other therapies required by a patient’s individual requirements.
The combined experience of surgeons at Cancer Surgery International in performing surgical procedures for many types of complex tumours, including advanced and recurrent cancers increase patient’s comfort level and improve quality of life. Palliative surgeries to control pain are part and parcel of treatment as our surgical oncologists take the time to discuss with each patient the diagnosis and treatment options available to them, answering their questions and concerns. They work with other team members—including nutritionists, rehabilitation therapists and naturopathic providers—to anticipate and manage the side effects of surgery.
Whether you are a candidate for surgery depends on factors such as the type, size, location, grade and stage of the tumour, as well as general health factors such as your age, physical fitness and any coexisting medical conditions.
What is the goal of surgical oncology?
There are many reasons someone with or suspected of having cancer may undergo surgery. Surgical oncology may be used to:
- Diagnose cancer (diagnostic surgery or biopsy)
- Remove a tumor or a portion of the cancer (curative or debulking surgery)
- Determine where the cancer is located, whether it has spread and whether it is affecting the functions of other organs (staging surgery)
- Remove body tissue that may become cancerous (preventive surgery)
- Support other types of treatment, such as installing an infusion port (supportive surgery)
- Restore the body’s appearance or function (reconstructive surgery)
- Relieve side effects (palliative surgery)
How is cancer surgery performed?
There are two primary types of cancer surgery: open surgery and minimally invasive surgery.
In open surgery, the surgical oncologist will make a large incision, usually to remove all or part of a tumor and some of the surrounding healthy tissue (margins).
Minimally invasive surgical techniques may involve:
- Laparoscopy: A surgical oncologist will make a few small incisions and insert a laparoscope—a thin tube with a tiny camera attached to it—into one of the incisions to capture an interior image, while inserting surgical tools into the other incisions to excise malignancies and surrounding tissue.
- Laser surgery: The surgeon will use a narrow beam of high-intensity light to remove a tumor.
- Cryosurgery: The surgeon will use liquid nitrogen to freeze and kill cancer cells.
- Robotic surgery: This surgery is similar to a laparoscopic surgery. However, instead of manipulating surgical tools by hand, the surgeon uses a computer console to operate the robotic tools.
Other procedures, such as endoscopies, embolization, Mohs micrographic surgery and pleuroscopies, may be performed by non-surgeons, including dermatologists, radiation oncologists and interventional pulmonologists, depending on the procedure.
Non-surgical treatments may take place before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) or after surgery (adjuvant therapy) to help prevent cancer growth, metastasis or recurrence. The treatments may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy or hormone therapy.