Cancer Surgery

At Wilmington Health, we treat all stages of cancer using a multidisciplinary approach following standardized national guidelines. Wilmington Health offers state-of-the-art surgical care in diagnosing, staging, and treating multiple types of cancers.

Most common surgically treated cancers we see

  • Breast
  • Colon
  • Gastric
  • Rectal
  • Skin (including melanoma)
  • Small intestine

Cancer usually requires surgery for treatment, and chemotherapy and radiation are often additionally indicated. Not every cancer requires all three of these treatment modalities, and we work closely with your radiation and medical oncologist to determine your best course of treatment.

Preventive Surgery

We sometimes perform preventive surgery to remove tissue from the body that has the potential to become cancerous. Examples include colectomy for pre-cancerous colon polyps and removal of women’s breasts who are at higher risk of developing breast cancer.

Diagnostic and Staging Surgery

To diagnose cancer, a biopsy must be performed to remove a piece of tissue for further examination under a microscope by a pathologist. Lincoln Surgical performs a number of biopsy procedures using different methods depending on your particular situation.

Types of biopsies

  • Fine needle aspiration
  • Core needle
  • Excisional
  • Ultrasound guided
  • Mammogram guided
  • Laparoscopic

Curative Surgery

If the cancer is contained in one area of the body and hasn’t spread, surgically removing all the cancer at once may be a curative procedure.

Debulking Surgery

Debulking surgery is performed when the entire tumor cannot be completely removed because of the involvement of other organs. In some cases, our surgeons will take out as much as we can without hurting the surrounding organs, allowing chemotherapy and radiation therapy to work more effectively.