Cancer: Surgery

Question 1

Def: diagnostic surgery

Answer 1

Usually biopsy; take a sample of tumour but us. leave tumour in- establish if it’s benign or malignant.

Question 2

Prophylactic surgery

Answer 2

Preventative of cancer actually happening in the future. Eg- Ovaries, visectomy, part of colon

Question 3

Palliation Surgery

Answer 3

Not really to tx but to reduce suffering; compressions causing pain.

Question 4

Debulking Surgery

Answer 4

Patient has multiple cancers/sites of cancer/multiple tumours; excise some of them and use a diff method/approach for the remaining tumours.

Question 5

Def: clear margins/negative margins

Answer 5

No cancer cells around the periphery of the tumour. They will still leave a large margin when cutting cancer out, as not to leave any cancer cells remaining; cancer cells get activated when exposed to air; surgeons won’t cut through cancer.

Question 6

Absolute, general CIs to tx a patient post surgery? (3)

Answer 6

Fever, certain/spec. drug combinations, very unstable vital signs

Question 7

What does good scar resolution look like? (6)

Answer 7

Aesthetically pleasing
Collagen along fxnl lines of stress/ doesn’t impede ROM

Normal sensation ideal
No adherence to adjacent structures (nn’s, bones, viscera)

Scar tissue properly profused/drainage -> colour
No pain