Surgery

Surgery is often used to determine the type of cancer a patient has (diagnosis) and the stage in addition to tumor removal. When it is possible, WakeMed surgeons use a minimally invasive (laparoscopic) approach to surgery, which minimizes blood loss and recovery time for the benefit of the patient. Surgery is different for every patient. Some surgical procedures impact lifestyle and require a patient do things differently. Other procedures involve same-day surgery and quick recovery towards normalcy. Our Cancer Care team, which includes our WakeMed Surgery team, is using all the tools they have available to help our patients fight their specific type of cancer. Therefore, patients may undergo treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy or both before surgery to shrink a tumor and/or chemotherapy after surgery as an additional measure to eliminate cancer cells.