Cancer Therapies

Surgery

Surgery plays a critical role in the treatment of nearly every cancer patient. Whether it is to obtain a biopsy or to attempt cure by removing a tumor that has a low chance of metastasis, surgery is performed often on cancer patients. Surgery on tumors is different than other general soft tissue surgery. Surgeons with knowledge of tumor behavior will make an incision that will increase the chance for cure by surgery of the local tumor. Tumors often have tiny “fingers” of tumor cells reaching into the tissue beyond the margins of the tumor that we detect with our eyes. Cancer surgeons understand where and how to remove tissue to have the best chance of getting all those tiny cells. The aftercare of a cancer surgery patient is also different. For example, we tend to avoid drains in the area of a tumor with the concern that it may seed tumor cells to normal tissue.

Surgery can cure certain tumors, or prevent them from growing back so that chemotherapy can protect the rest of the body, or reduce the size of the tumor so that radiation therapy will be more effective.

Surgery may also be used in a palliative setting. This means relieving the symptoms associated with the tumor. This might mean removing a tumor that is causing difficulty eating, drinking, or eliminating (urinating and defecating). It could also mean surgery that restores normal function such as inserting a stomach tube if eating is not possible due to a tumor of the mouth, or inserting a catheter that allows the bladder to empty if a tumor is blocking the urethra and the pet cannot urinate.

At the University of Missouri-Columbia Veterinary Teaching Hospital, with our strong program in oncology, our soft tissue surgeons have fostered in-depth knowledge of tumor behavior and biology. Our surgeons often attend oncology rounds and didactic courses. We collaborate on each case to provide the best combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy for each patient.