Surgery offers the best chance of a cure for patients with early cancer and is fundamental to cancer management, but it does not receive enough recognition and there are many obstacles to its delivery.
High-quality surgery:
- stays as the best chance to cure solid cancer when diagnosed early,
- is the most cost-effective treatment for most non-metastasized tumors,
- is necessary for the prevention of cancer in patients with inherited susceptibility,
- is basic to the diagnosis and staging of cancer,
- is necessary for the treatment of metastatic disease, and
- is important for the alleviation of cancer symptoms.
It is estimated that approximately 80% of cancer patients will require surgical intervention at some point during the course of their disease, but fewer than a quarter of cancer patients receive safe, affordable, or timely surgery.
A four-point plan could give surgical oncology the attention it deserves to make it safer, more efficient. and minimally invasive.
1. Enhance recognition of surgical oncology as a specialist discipline; the goal is the reduction of disparities in training, qualifications and practices.
2. Support research and innovation.
3. Improve screening and early detection of cancer. When the disease is diagnosed at an early stage, curative surgery has more possibilities to be effective.
4. Increase the role of surgical oncologists in multidisciplinary care and full cancer centers.
See reference for more information. Adapted from Medscape Medical News. Surgery offers best chance in cancer but needs more 'support'. Internet. Available at https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/962928?uac=6705FY&faf=1&sso=true&impID=3864214&src=mkm_ret_211211_mscpmrk_SurgOnc_monthly. Accessed on December 16, 2021. To view the entire article and all other content on the Medscape News and Perspective site, a free, one-time registration is required.