While cancer can be removed with other options such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy, when the cancer is localized, or is in a tumor, surgery is often the way to go. Surgery will often remove only the tumor or the entire organ, depending on the spread of the cancer. There will often be a margin of healthy tissue that is removed, just to ensure that no cancerous cells are left.
Surgery is also done to determine the extent of the disease and to see if the cancer has spread to any other surrounding organs. This type of surgery is called staging.
Sometimes, surgery is also done to alleviate the symptoms of cancer, such as a blocked bowel or a compressed spine, and this type is known as palliative treatment, dealing only with the symptom and not the cause.
