For some people, surgery is all that is needed to cure the disease. Other people may need additional treatment with radiation, chemotherapy or other therapies before, during or after the operation.
In cáncer surgery, what is at stake is especially high. Performing a correct procedure in advance means that the cancer is less likely to return. It also reduces the risk of serious complications that can affect your health and normal bodily functions.
First of all, our doctors are experts not only in surgical techniques to eliminate cancer but also in the disease itself. Their only focus is cancer, and they work hard to find the best ways to treat it. In fact, surgeons from all over Spain come to HC Marbella to learn new techniques.
Although other surgeons can be equally expert in performing an operation, the HC Marbella surgeons, working in close collaboration with our pathologists, medical oncologists and many other cancer experts, have the depth of knowledge to perform it at the right time, the right way and in combination with the right additional therapies. They are committed to helping you understand all your options, even when it is possible to postpone surgery and closely monitor your cancer in your place of residence, using an approach called active surveillance.
Active surveillance is feasible thanks to advances in science, which allow doctors to understand when a cancer will progress slowly and is not a threat to your health. This approach can allow you to delay treatment and avoid its possible risks and side effects until symptoms appear or there is a change in the aggressiveness of your disease. It is a proven method that our surgeons successfully started in prostate cancer and that we are using more and more for thyroid cancer, kidney and other types.
In addition to saving lives, our surgeons work conscientiously to find ways to help patients fully recover their normal lives after treatment. For example, in patients with cervical cancer at the initial stage, our gynecological surgeons perform a new surgical procedure that preserves fertility. Now we have one of the most active programs in Spain that uses this technique, which allows many women to still have children who have lost this ability in the past.
Our goal with surgery is to eliminate as much cancer as possible, as long as it is feasible. We have experience in the effective elimination of common tumors, as well as very complicated growths in difficult to reach or delicate parts of the body. Our surgeons work as a team with our other experts, such as anesthesiologists and nurses, which can make a crucial difference in how well you do during and after surgery.
If your case is susceptible to surgery, we will jointly discuss the procedure that gives you not only the best chances of survival but also the best quality of life possible. Some of the factors we consider include the following:
• The type of cancer you have (for example, solid tumors can often be removed surgically, while blood cancers can not be removed).
• Where the cancer is in the body and how we can get there to eliminate it.
• The spread of cancer to nearby tissue or if it has spread (metastasized) The rapidity with which cancer is growing.
• Other health conditions that may affect the way the person tolerates and recovers from surgery.
For some patients, we can recommend minimally invasive surgery, such as robotic surgery and laparoscopic surgery. During a procedure of this type, the surgeon performs the same operation as he would have done in the traditional way-open surgery, but using special instruments and procedures that require several smaller incisions instead of a larger one.
Our surgeons are experts in these techniques, as well as knowing when a procedure of this type might be appropriate for your case. Their key decision will be based on which technique is best for treating your cancer and how you can lead a normal life afterwards. Although a minimally invasive surgery may be a good option for many people, it is not suitable for everyone.
In some cases, your doctor may recommend radiotherapy, chemotherapy or other treatments in addition to surgery. These therapies can help reduce the size of the cancer before surgery, making it easier to remove cancer cells after surgery. Chemotherapy or radiotherapy administered during surgery may be another option.
• There is a technique called hyperthermic (heated) intraperitoneal chemotherapy or HIPEC, for some people with colorectal cancer and certain gynecological cancers. With HIPEC, high concentrations of chemotherapy heated directly in the lining of the abdominal area are administered immediately after the tumor has been removed to treat any remaining cancer cells. HIPEC provides a much higher concentration of chemotherapy, which may be more effective in killing cancer cells, while reducing the toxicity and side effects associated with conventional chemotherapy.
• Intraoperative radiotherapy therapy involves the delivery of high doses of radiation during surgery to remove a tumor. One technique may be to use a device called a linear accelerator to deliver a concentrated beam of radiation where the cancer cells may still be dormant. In another technique called brachytherapy, a radioactive implant is placed in or near the tumor in the body.
Sometimes, our surgeons can incorporate certain imaging procedures, such as MRI, PET/CT, into one operation. The benefits vary according to the type of cancer and the procedure performed, but in general, the intraoperative images give us the opportunity to better visualize the tumors during surgery so that we can eliminate them more effectively. We are also exploring new molecular imaging methods that illuminate cancer cells during an operation so that we can see them clearly and make sure we eliminate them all.
Surgery can also be used to diagnose cancer or to relieve the symptoms and side effects of the disease or its treatment. Here are other reasons why you might have surgery as part of cancer treatment.
Diagnosis
Surgery can be used to diagnose cancer (through a biopsy that removes part or all of the suspicious tissue) or to determine the stage or extent of the disease (which includes removing the lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread). This information is used, along with the images and blood tests, to help decide what type of treatment is best for your case and to predict your prognosis.
Prevention
Some operations are done to reduce the risk of developing cancer. For example, doctors often recommend the removal of precancerous polyps in the colon to prevent colorectal cancer. In other cases, women who are more likely to develop breast or ovarian cancer due to a family history or certain inherited genetic mutations may choose to undergo surgery to remove their sinuses and / or ovaries to decrease their risk.
Reconstruction
Plastic and reconstructive surgery can help restore the aesthetic appearance or physical function of your body. For example, women who undergo a mastectomy, a procedure to remove a full breast to treat or prevent breast cancer, may choose to undergo reconstructive surgery to reconstruct the shape of the breast removed.
You can also perform plastic or reconstructive surgery to replace normal tissue and nerves that are removed during the treatment of head and neck cancer; to repair areas where the skin and underlying tissue have been removed to treat skin cancer; or to rebuild organs, such as the bladder or rectum, that have been removed to treat cancer in those areas. Reconstructive surgery can also complement limb replacement surgery after large tumors have been removed.
Palliative care
Palliative surgery is used to relieve side effects caused by a tumor and can help improve the quality of life for people with advanced or generalized cancer. For example, surgery can be used to help relieve pain or stop internal bleeding. In addition, our surgeons are now transplanting lymph nodes from one part of the body to another to prevent or reduce lymphedema, an uncomfortable and painful swelling in the arms or legs that may occur after treatment for certain cancers.
November 22, 2018
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