Corel Medical Series: Cancer/Corel Medical Series: Cancer.iso/mac/Program/p05.dxr/00044_Field_SRC.p05.C.6.txt

Text File | 1997-01-28 | 2KB | 17 lines

      After the operation, the surgeon passes the entire specimen—the "gross" (visible) cancer, the margin and the
  lymphatic glands—to a pathologist for examination under a microscope. The pathologist will be able to find out
  the exact kind of tumor involved and how far it extends into normal tissues and glands. The extent of the tumor
  often determines the prognosis and the need for additional forms of therapy.
      It usually takes two or three days for a specimen to be processed and examined, so the surgeon will not
  usually be able to discuss the final diagnosis or prognosis with you or your family for a few days after surgery.
• To remove other tumors  Besides removing the primary tumor , surgery may also be performed for
   residual, metastatic or recurrent lesions. Surgery for "residual" tumors means that the operation has
   beenpreceded by radiation therapy or chemotherapy . The idea is that certain tumors shrink or even
   disappear with radiation or chemotherapy and that the surgeon can then remove the rest of the affected organ.
      In other cases, after the original tumor is removed the surgeon may remove the metastases, those small cancer
  cells that have broken off the tumor and spread to other organs. Patients with colon cancer, for example, who
  develop a single metastasis to the liver and in whom there is no other evidence of disease can benefit from the
  removal of the metastatic tumor.
      Finally, if the tumor has resumed at the original site—"recurrent" disease—the surgeon may attempt a second
  removal of the tumor. This operation may be performed with some melanomas or breast cancer, for example.
• To relieve symptoms  Some tumors produce mechanical problems in the body. If the tumor becomes large