Surgical Oncology Cancer Specialists
Improve Outcome and Survival
Some cancer surgeries require a more technically challenging operation than others. Examples of these procedures include liver resections, removal of the pancreas, lung, esophagus, or sphincter saving surgeries for rectal cancer. A large body of literature has accumulated demonstrating improved outcome for patients who receive their care for these malignancies by a Surgical Oncologist rather than a general surgeon. Hospital stay and complications as well as risk of recurrence and survival are well documented to be improved when surgery and care is delivered by someone whose entire practice and career focus is the care of people with cancer. General surgeons spend most of their time removing gallbladders, fixing hernias and obstructed blood vessels and doing emergency surgeries. Not cancer care. Frequently, patients with “common variety” cancers are cared for by general surgeons in most communities because it’s simple, routine, and just needs to be “cut out”. Right? Wrong! What difference does it make? An enormous difference! These cancers are often felt to be “common variety” or “routine” by everyone but the patient and Surgical Oncologists. Consider a study reported in the Annals of Surgical Oncology in 2005 examining the outcome of 29,666 women with breast cancer cared for in Los Angeles County (Annals of Surgical Oncology 10:606-615). This study examined the difference in long term outcome depending only on whether a patient was cared for by a general surgeon or had their entire cancer care coordinated by a Surgical Oncologist. Treatment by a Surgical Oncologist resulted in an astounding 33% reduction in the risk of death at five years compared to when care was delivered by a general surgeon. In another study at the University of Massachusetts (Annals of Surgical Oncology 5:28-32) the impact of Surgical Oncology was examined by determining the quality of breast cancer surgery at the university in women with cancers that could not be detected by physical exam. Surgical Oncologists achieved a much lower rate of positive margins (cancer cells extending to the edge of the tissue removed) at the time of cancer removal (25% vs.41%), required fewer second operations (18% vs. 48%), and achieved a higher rate of breast conservation (88% vs. 70%) than did general surgeons. Similar improvement in outcome has been documented in Great Britain (Br J Cancer 90:1920-5) when care there is by Surgical Oncologists. Adequate surgical management of breast cancer as well as all other cancers is fundamental to improving outcome. Knowing what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and how what is done impacts subsequent care and outcome is the key. Coordination of care and surgery by a specialist who devotes his career and all his attention to comprehensive cancer care leads to fewer recurrences, a better chance of survival, and less stress on our patients. They undergo fewer procedures and therefore the cost to our patients and health care system is dramatically less as well.
AT CASCADE SURGICAL ONCOLOGY WE WANT ALL PATIENTS TO HAVE THE BEST OUTCOME POSSIBLE. HAVE YOUR SURGERY AND CANCER CARE BY A SURGICAL ONCOLOGIST! IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!
