Surgical Oncology

Surgery may be performed to achieve one or more of the following goals:

Prevention
Preventive surgery is performed to remove growths or tissues that are likely to develop into cancer.

Diagnosis and Staging
A biopsy may be performed to discover whether a growth is cancerous, and if so, how far the disease has progressed.

Curative
Curative surgery aims to remove an entire tumor.

Tumor Reduction
Called "debulking," this surgery is performed to remove the majority of a tumor. Some cancer cells may remain and may be removed by other treatment methods.

Palliation
Palliative surgery does not treat cancer but rather alleviates pain and other complications that a cancer may cause.

Reconstruction
Reconstru tive surgery addresses body image concerns resulting from cancer or cancer treatment. Options may include breast reconstruction, facial reconstruction or scar revision.

Surgical Specialties
Surgeons are available at Carle in the following specialties:

• Breast
• Colon rectal
• General
• Gynecologic
• Head and neck
• Heart, lung and vascular
• Neurosurgery
• Ophthalmology
• Oral and maxillofacial
• Plastic/reconstructive
• Podiatry
• Prostate
• Spine and orthopedic
• Thyroid
• Urologic