Surgical Oncology Services at Trinitas Regional Medical Center

Choosing the optimal cancer treatment is determined by the type of cancer a patient has, the stage of cancer and overall condition. Selecting the most appropriate treatment also depends on whether the goal of the treatment is to cure the cancer, keep it from spreading, or to relieve the symptoms caused by cancer. Although treatment may vary, nearly all cancer patients will try some kind of surgery even if it is a simple procedure for diagnosis.

Some surgical procedures are performed in the physician's office while others are done in the adjacent Trinitas Regional Medical Center building by a highly-experienced team of hospital surgeons. An array of treatment and diagnostic procedures are performed as outpatient services in the Same-Day Surgery Center, though some surgeries may require a brief inpatient hospital stay.

What types of surgery are there?

Surgery is used to diagnose cancer, determine its stage, and to treat the disease. Surgery that is used to help diagnose cancer--called a biopsy--is quite common. Often performed in the physician's office or in an outpatient surgery center, a biopsy involves taking a tissue sample from the suspicious cancer for examination by a specialist in a laboratory.

When used for treatment, surgery typically involves removing the cancer and tissue adjacent to the cancer. In addition to providing local treatment to the cancer, information gained during surgery is useful in determining the likelihood of repeated cancer and whether other treatment modalities are necessary.

Surgical techniques continue to improve and are now less invasive to provide as much comfort to the patient as possible.