What is Surgical Oncology ?
In most cases, surgery is necessary for the treatment of tumours. It is typically the first stage of treatment, but radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy may be given before, during, or after it. Surgery for cancer naturally entails getting rid of the tumour as accurately as possible. However, it is sometimes combined with a lymph-node dissection, in which the surgeon eliminates as much of the lymph nodes that drain the tumour and are hence likely to be damaged in turn. The sentinel lymph node approach for breast cancer allows for the removal of just one lymph node.
The lymph node chain will be removed if it is damaged; if it is healthy, the others will be retained. Usually, anaesthetic is used for these operations. The evaluation of these lymph nodes will also assist in determining the surgical intervention's postoperative course (chemotherapy, radiotherapy etc.).