Surgery is one type of treatment used in the care of children with cancer. The role that surgery plays in the treatment depends upon the type, location and extent of the cancer. Surgeries are classified according to the primary purpose that they serve in treatment.
Primary surgery
Primary surgery removes all or most of the tumor at the time of diagnosis. In some cases, the tumor is too big, or is in an area of the body where it cannot be safely removed. In these cases, primary surgery is done after chemotherapy or radiation therapy, which is given to help reduce the size of the tumor.
Second look surgery
Second look surgery is done after treatment with chemotherapy or radiation. The surgeons are able to see how well the treatments have worked in killing the cancer cells, and may be able to take out the remaining tumor.
Supportive care surgery
Supportive care surgery is done to help with some aspect of a patient’s care. Examples of supportive care surgery include:
- Putting in a central venous catheter that can be used to give chemotherapy or obtain blood specimens.
- Putting in a gastrostomy tube to provide nutrition if a patient is unable to take adequate nutrition by mouth for an extended period of time.