Surgical Oncology or the Field of Cancer surgery deals with removal of tumour and nearby tissue during an operation. A doctor who treats cancer with surgery is called a Surgical oncologist. Surgery is one of the most effective treatment for most cancers.

Cancer surgery is of many types and is done with various outcome expectations

• Curative surgery - Done to remove all or some of a cancer
• Diagnostic surgery – Like biopsies are done to diagnose cancer
• Staging surgery - Done to find out if the cancer has spread or is affecting the functions of other organs in the body and to find out where the cancer is located.
• Debulking surgery - When removal of whole tumor is not possible, sometimes patients need surgery to remove a part of tumor to relieve acute symptoms and also for better function
• Palliative surgery - In advanced cancers, surgery is used as an option to relieve side effects of the tumor and for better quality of life for the patient
• Preventive surgery - In patients with high risk of developing cancer, surgery is done with intent to prevent the patients from developing cancer
• Reconstructive surgery - In cancer patients, most times when the tumour or an organ is removed, the patient has loss of function or appearance of the organ. Reconstructive surgery is done with the aim of restoring the function and appearance of the organ removed due to cancer.

• Minimally invasive cancer surgery - Laparoscopic/ Endoscopic/ Robotic
• Microsurgery - Reconstructive Head and neck surgery, Moh's microsurgery for skin cancers
• Laser surgery/ Cryosurgery - Using energy sources to remove tumor with minimal side effects. These are useful only in a small subset of cancers
• Reconstructive surgery - Using reconstruction with native tissue or prosthesis or implants to help in restoring appearance and function for patient