Can a biopsy or surgical removal of a tumor cause cancer to spread?!
Question:
Can a biopsy or surgical removal of a tumor cause cancer to spread?
What is the likelyhood that cancer will spread it a tumor is ruptured?
Answers:
Not exactly.
Surgery and biopsies are done hundreds and thousands of times with no problems whatsoever. But, every once in awhile you may get a general surgeon who is not familiar with cancer and he removes a malignant tumor. He may think it is just a benign tumor because he is not experienced enough. This may cause problems for that patient because the surgeon fails to obtain 'adequate margins' surrounding the malignancy. As you know cancer can spread and it only takes one microscopic cell to migrate and start the whole process over again. If the surgeon does not obtain complete removal with adequate margins he runs the risk of leaving malignant cells behind. In other words he doesn't get it all. An oncological surgeon, on the other hand, is a specialist and skilled enough to know how to handle this type of surgery. They have done successful cancer surgeries thousands of times and know what to do.
If an oncological surgeon cannot remove the whole tumor or get adequate margins, they can 'cauterize' the area sometimes using radiation or heated chemotherapy or other tools to minimize the risks. If a surgeon accidently cuts into a tumor . . and there is spillage . . again there are tools to cauterize or minimize the risk. If an oncological surgeon suspects that there might be difficulties in getting those clean margins or to minimize the risk of microscopic cells getting into an incision . . they may use radiation or chemo applied directly around the area. What you should know is that an oncologist surgeons, if the are good, know exactly what they are doing.
If you are really curious about surgery and how it is done there are online video broadcasts that show real operations. You can watch some of them at Wakeforest University Medical Center. There is an hour long video of hyperthermic chemoperfusion:
http://www1.wfubmc.edu/cancer/videos+and...
Or, you can find online medical or surgical broadcast at:
OR Live - Home of live surgical video on the Internet
http://or-live.com/
Please keep in mind that for the majority of malignant tumors the most effective means to a 'cure' is the total surgical removal of all cancer. So, whatever minimal risk is present . . it is worth it.