36^th World Cancer Conference

Surgical Oncology

Surgery is used to diagnose stage and treat cancer, and certain cancer-related symptoms. It is the branch of surgery applied to oncology; it focuses on the surgical management of tumours, especially cancerous tumours. Surgical oncology is a specialized area of oncology that engages surgeons in the cure and management of cancer. Whether a patient is 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 age, physical fitness and other medical comorbidities. For many patients, surgery will be combined with other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy or hormone therapy.