Surgery Is Often the Only Solid Tumors Treatment Used on Various Types of Cancers

 

Do solid tumors respond to surgery? The answer is, "Yes," although not in the way most people expect. If a tumor is contained within the body and not spreading out (as with non-organic cancer), surgery may be an effective solid tumors treatment. Otherwise, most solid cancers will not require surgery. Most solid tumors, including breast, ovarian, prostrate, colon, rectal, bladder, melanoma, skin cancer and most of the mesothelioma cases, respond well to surgery.

Non-organic neoplastic cancers, including leukemia and bone marrow cancer, require chemotherapy, radiation therapy or both. Chemotherapy kills off the tumor and also destroys any remaining normal cells around it. This "outside" solid tumors treatment has side effects that depend on how many cancer cells are left in the body after surgery and how long after surgery the radiation therapy will continue. Some side effects include persistent tiredness, hair loss, nausea and vomiting, weight loss, fluid retention and even a slow growth rate. Some side effects, like nausea, do not occur with all solid tumors treatment and some can go away while others do not go away at all.

Surgery is often the only solid tumors treatment used on these types of cancers because once doctors determine that they are large enough and growing slowly enough they can remove the majority of the cancerous cells. At this point, the doctor will recommend radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Unfortunately, many doctors do not follow what their guidelines recommend or what is best for the individual.

Most individuals receive surgery only if their doctors feel that there is no other solid tumors treatment available. At first, surgery is very painful. Tumors that are large can sometimes block blood flow to the area and the surgery may be unsuccessful. Chemotherapy is also very painful as it uses anti-inflammatory drugs and can damage healthy cells. There are many side effects to either treatment including fatigue, hair loss, nausea and vomiting, fluid retention and in some rare cases a need for radiation therapy.

The doctor may recommend that solid tumors to be treated using the standard approach. This includes cutting the tumor and removing part of the surrounding tissue along with the lymph nodes and lymph tissue. The surrounding tissue can be frozen or thawed and the patient is often given a prescription for pain medication. Many times, the doctor will tell the patient that the cancer has spread to other internal organs.

Other solid tumors sometimes require surgery but chemotherapy is used instead of radiation therapy or surgery. If a child has a mild form of the disease, surgery will be able to remove part of the tumor. Sometimes, chemotherapy is used in combination with surgery in solid tumors treatment in children who have moderate to severe forms of the disease. After surgery, the doctor may recommend chemotherapy or radiation therapy. In some cases, both solid tumors treatments are used. This is usually the case when the cancer has spread to other internal organs, such as the liver or lungs.