Surgery is the most common type of cancer treatment and is often
used in combination with other therapies. Surgery may be the
best option to cure many types of cancer, especially those that
have not metastasized, or spread. Definition of treatment
Traditional surgery, which has been the standard of care for
years, involves a large "open" incision, or cut, that may be as
long as 10 inches. Even though traditional or open surgery is
still done for certain procedures, it has increasingly been
replaced by "closed" surgical procedures, or laparoscopy, which
uses small, keyhole-sized incision. Robotic surgical systems are
increasingly being used for minimally invasive or laparoscopic
surgery. Types of treatment The more common types of cancer
surgeries: - Curative surgery involves removing a cancerous
tumor. - Debulking surgery involves removing some, but not all,
of the tumor so that nearby organs or tissues are not damaged. -
Preventive surgery is used to keep your cancer from occurring in
the first place. For ex