What are the types of bone cancer surgery?
Surgery is the usual method preferred for the treatment of bone cancer. There are different types of bone cancer surgery that a doctor may decide to perform, based on the size and location of a tumor, the age of the patient and the stage of cancer.
First of all, a diagnostic or staging surgery may be performed to determine the stage of cancer. Following this surgery, other types of surgery are performed, which include:
Limb-sparing surgery
This type of surgery involves the removal of the cancerous tissue, in addition to some part of the surrounding healthy tissues. Therefore, the affected arm or the leg from where the cancer is removed remains intact. Limb-sparing surgery is most often used for the treatment of primary cancers.
During the procedure, the surgeon removes the area of the bone affected by cancer, along with the cancer cells. The void created by the bone removal is filled by a metal implant.
The prosthesis is fixed in place of the removed bone or joint when the entire cancer tissue has been removed from the location. The tendons and ligaments that originally held the bone together are also fixed back in place during the surgery.
Amputation
In this procedure, the part of body affected by bone cancer is completely removed. Typically, the surgeon removes a part of the limb rather than the entire leg or arm affected by cancer.
Amputation is done only when there is no other option left or when limb-sparing surgery is not possible, the patient develops an infection after limb-sparing surgery or when complete cancer removal is impossible without conducting amputation.
Reconstructive surgery
This type of surgery may be performed after limb-sparing surgery or amputation to rebuild or reshape a part of the body that was modified or changed during the previous surgery for cancer removal.
Palliative surgery
This type of surgery is performed to provide patient relief from symptoms associated with bone cancer, such as pain and lump formation.
Dissection may be performed to remove the lymph nodes from the body of the patient in case cancer has spread from the bone.