EXPERT
Dr. Mark Gimbel
Surgical Oncologist
- Gilbert, Arizona
- University of Maryland
- Accepting new patients
Preventing Tanning Bed Use in Minors - A Letter to the Arizona Legislature
I am a cancer surgeon and I specialize in the treatment of melanoma. For those of you who don’t know, melanoma is typically a cancer of older age – mostly seen in patients over...
How often do tumors come back after being removed?
To start, it depends on the type of tumor you have. If the tumor is malignant (or cancerous), then there is a much higher risk of it recurring compared to if the tumor is benign.
The size of the tumor may also predict a higher chance of a tumor coming back where large tumors are much more likely to recur - given the total surface area - versus small tumors.
The way the cells look under the microscope may also predispose someone to a higher risk of recurrence. If the cells are more orderly and look like normal tissue, then these tumors are less likely to come back, while tumors that are highly mutated and look nothing like that normal tissue, have a higher risk of recurrence.
After surgery for breast cancer, depending on the type of surgery and the location of the tumor, radiation may be recommended. This is to reduce the chance of the tumor coming back. So with some tumors where patients undergo breast conservation, radiation may be offered to reduce that risk.
The stage of the tumor will also affect the risk of recurrence. If the tumor has spread to lymph nodes (stage III), then the risk of cancer coming back is much higher.
There are many layers to this question, but a comprehensive treatment plan should be undertaken to get the best treatment and to reduce the chance that a tumor recurs.
Can cancer spread after surgery?
Working with you cancer team will allow a comprehensive plan to be put into place along with continued follow up after surgery.
How invasive is a tumor removal?
Is a pancreas cancer diagnosis fatal?
However, a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma is not fatal. The size of the tumor, location, and spread to lymph nodes are very important features when discussing overall survival. Once a diagnosis of your husband's tumor is made, these other factors will need to be discussed with your cancer team.
Is it worth it to have colon resection surgery?
Another important reason to have surgery is that many times, there is microscopic disease in the surrounding lymph nodes that cannot be seen on imaging. By removing the lymph nodes along with the colon and the cancer, a full cancer picture can now be obtained - dictating whether or not chemotherapy will be recommended.
Why can't some tumors be removed?
In the liver, there are 2 distinct lobes or sides. If the tumor encroached upon the other side of the liver, there may not have been enough liver left after a resection. This could send a patient into liver failure and ultimately death.
Can tumors be removed without surgery?
As with all cancer diagnoses and treatment plans, I do recommend a second opinion from another specialist to corroborate or refute the plan that you were given.
Mark I. Gimbel, MD
Can cancer come back after surgery?
However, in your situation, you developed a lump a couple of months later. It would be unlikely for cancer to recur that quickly especially if you were told it was completely removed. After surgery, the body's natural response to filling in a defect (i.e. where your tumor was removed) is to fill it with fluid. Many times, this fluid can resemble another lump. Before you get too concerned, an ultrasound can usually be performed to see if it is a fluid filled space or if it looks like something has returned.
Do all tumors need to be removed?
That being said, there are some benign processes that can continue to grow and cause issues by the size alone. If you have it removed now, it may be much easier to perform the surgery and with less complications then if you need it removed in the future.
How should I prepare for my lumpectomy?
If you have a cancer diagnosis and you choose lumpectomy, radiation therapy may be recommended after surgery depending on the size and type of tumor.
Does a double mastectomy prevent breast cancer?
Can benign tumors come back?
If you just had a tumor removed and you still feel a lump, this is most likely a fluid collection (or seroma). This should decrease over the next few weeks. If it does not go away, a simple Ultrasound can be used to evaluate it.