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Surgery is often a first-line treatment used to cure or treat symptoms of the disease by removing all or part of the cancer. Oftentimes, surgery is the best chance to cure cancer. This is especially the case with early stage cancers that have not spread to other tissues or parts of the body.
If you are searching for personalized cancer treatment, you can trust the expertise of our oncology team at St. Joseph's Cancer Institute. We have surgeons, doctors, and nurse navigators committed to your care.
The goal of cancer surgery is to remove all cancer cells from your body. Your doctor may also recommend surgery even if only part of the cancer can be removed to improve the success of other treatments, such as radiation therapy, in attacking cancer cells.
Other reasons you might need cancer surgery are:
Your cancer surgery will be done in a Dignity Health hospital with general anesthesia. The type and size of the cancer will determine how invasive the procedure will be. Minimally invasive surgery may be an option for a small tumor or growth of cancer cells, but large or several tumors will require a more traditional open procedure with a larger incision. Regardless of the surgical approach, your surgeon, oncologist, and nurse navigators at Dignity Health will help you through the entire process.
Your recovery after cancer surgery will depend on how invasive the surgery is and whether you need other cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation. You may be able to recover at home immediately, or you may need to spend several days in the hospital to heal.
Your care team will give you specific instructions for follow-up appointments and information about long-term screening to monitor for cancer recurrence.
St. Joseph's Cancer Institute provides state-of-the-art surgery for cancer treatment in the Stockton region.