Encyclopedia of Cancer | Amputation

Definition

Amputation is the intentional surgical removal of a limb or body part. It is performed to remove diseased tissue or relieve pain.

Purpose

Arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, and toes can all be amputated. Most amputations involve small body parts such as a finger, rather than an entire limb. More than 60, 000 amputations are performed in the United States each year.

Amputation is performed for the following reasons:

• to remove tissue that no longer has an adequate blood supply
• to remove malignant cancers (almost exclusively in the case of osteogenic sarcoma or other sarcomas)
• as a result of severe trauma to the body part

The blood supply to an extremity can be cut off because of injury to the blood vessel, hardening...