Physicians Work Together to Facilitate a Comprehensive Cancer Treatment

When diagnosed with cancer, the most important thing is to find a comprehensive cancer treatment that can help to eliminate the disease. This generally involves a multiple prong approach. Typically, patients will need to have some form of surgery to remove whatever cancer can be manually extracted. Then, to eliminate any cancerous cells that are spread throughout the rest of the body, radiation and chemotherapy are typically used. Taking this type of collaborative approach can be critical for giving patients the best opportunity for eliminating the cancer and reaching remission. As a surgeon, we will often work with oncologists as part of that process.

Physicians working together to create a comprehensive cancer treatment

The first stop on the journey is typically a family physician who notices that there is a problem and may recommend further testing. This could include blood work, imaging scans, etc. If the tests come back positive for cancerous cells, patients are typically referred to an oncologist who will conduct additional tests to determine if there is cancer present, where it is located and if it has spread throughout the body. An oncologist will provide the majority of care and coordinate other treatments. If they feel that surgery will be an important part of the treatment plan, they will then refer patients to our office to discuss surgical options.

Surgery may not be easy, but it is important

We understand that making the decision to have surgery is not an easy one and do our best to provide patients with as much information as necessary to help them feel comfortable and know what to expect. Our objective is to remove as much of the cancer as possible so that any chemotherapy and radiation is a precautionary measure, rather than necessary for removing it.

Talking about success rates for cancer treatment

The success rate for a cancer treatment is something that is going to be far higher if cancer is identified, diagnosed and treated early on. Most patients recover from stage one cancer and even stage two has a high success rate. However, once the cancer has begun to spread throughout the body, it is more difficult for it to be treated and for patients to recover. This is because in the early stages, cancer can typically be removed surgically and then radiation will kill any remaining cancerous or precancerous cells. However, as cancer advances, it can move into other parts of the body and be difficult or impossible to eliminate with surgery alone. It is therefore critical to visit a primary care doctor as soon as symptoms start to manifest themselves, visit an oncologist right away after the diagnosis and speak with the surgeon if that is recommended. Delaying at any step along the journey can make it more difficult to recover.

Call to learn more

While there are no guarantees, we can provide information on what we believe the success rate for the procedure will be. To discuss this and other options for treating cancer, call our office and schedule an appointment. We will participate in creating a customized treatment plan that will help a patient to reach success.