Before you have surgery, your doctors will study the kind and extent of the tumor involved, then discuss what kind of surgery you need. The intensity of preparation for the surgery will depend on the kind of operation planned. If the surgery is for diagnosis and will involve a needle biopsy , there may only be a need to make sure your blood will clot so that bleeding from the needle puncture will stop quickly.
Preparation is much more elaborate for a major operation. Assuming that the tumor has already been studied thoroughly, two areas will be given special attention—the identification of any abnormalities or associated diseases and their correction before the operation. Patients are examined less or more comprehensively depending on the type of operation planned and their age. As people get older they tend to develop diseases of the heart, lungs and other organs that can jeopardize their recovery from an operation.
Diagnosis of Associated Diseases It is important for a surgeon to know if you have diabetes, if you are being treated for some other disease, what medications you are taking, how many white and red blood cells are in circulation, how well your blood clots and so on. Much of this information can be obtained through blood tests. Blood-clotting abnormalities can be discovered with tests, but the best indicator of an increased risk of bleeding during surgery is a history of bleeding problems.
Similarly, a chest x-ray will give the surgeon an idea of the state of your lungs and an electrocardiogram (ECG) will help evaluate the state of your heart. Tests of lung (pulmonary) and heart function may also be performed.
