Home > Encyclopedia of Medicine > Tumor Removal

Definition

Tumor removal is a surgical procedure to remove an abnormal growth.

Purpose

A tumor can be either benign, like a wart, or malignant, in which case it is a cancer. Benign tumors are well

circumscribed and are generally easy to remove completely. In contrast, cancers pose some of the most difficult problems in all of surgery.

Currently 40% of all cancers are treated with surgery alone. In 55%, surgery is combined with other treatments—usually radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

The doctor needs to decide if surgery should be done at all. Because cancers spread (metastasize) to normal tissues, sometimes at the other end of the body, the ability of surgery to cure must be...