Precision Cancer Surgery

Specialized surgeons at the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center are an integral part of your cancer care team.

During a tumor board conference, surgeons meet with other members of your team to discuss the best cancer treatment for you and your specific type of cancer. In conjunction with medical oncologists and radiation oncologists, surgeons deliver various combinations of therapies.

Our surgeons use state-of-the-art imaging to evaluate if you are a candidate for surgery. If you are, they will discuss with you in detail what the surgery entails and how they will remove your tumor.

They treat many types of cancer with precision cancer surgery, using:

• Minimally invasive surgery — the insertion of instruments like laparoscopes through small incisions to perform more precise surgeries. Patients generally heal more quickly and have fewer side effects and less pain.
• Robotic surgery — a type of minimally invasive surgery that is performed with small surgical instruments attached to robotic arms. The surgeon performs the operation by using a robotic computer to control the robotic arms.
• Open surgery — traditional surgery in which a larger incision is made to completely excise the tumor.

With your consent, once the cancer is removed during the operation, the pathologist immediately processes the cancer. The pathologist uses leading-edge technology to map the molecular profile of your tumor.

This molecular map is extremely important to your medical team as they determine your treatment. It may allow them to treat you with the latest precision cancer therapies that target your unique cancer and stop it from growing.