Tumor removal is a surgical procedure to remove an abnormal growth.
A tumor can be either benign, like a wart, or malignant, in which case it is a cancer. Benign tumors are well circumscribed and generally are easy to remove completely. In contrast, cancers pose some of the most difficult problems in all of surgery.
Currently 40% of all cancers are treated with surgery alone. In 55% of cases, surgery is combined with other treatments—usually radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
Remove as much tumor as possible, either to relieve symptoms caused by the tumor itself or to reduce the amount of tumor to be treated with radiation or chemotherapy.
Enable direct access for chemotherapy, radiation implants, or genetic treatment of malignant tumors.
Relieve seizures (due to a brain tumor) that are hard to control.
General risks for anyone going through surgery for any reason include:
Recovery time depends on: