What is pediatric oncologic surgery?
Pediatric oncologic surgery is in charge of performing surgical treatment to treat different tumors in children, located in different anatomical locations:
- Head and neck tumors
- Thorax tumors
- Abdominal tumors
- Soft tissue tumors and rare tumors
- Genitourinary tumors
- Vascular accesses
To treat childhood cancer, it is recommended to go to centers specialized in Pediatric Oncohaematology, since they are units that have the optimum personnel and technology for diagnosis and treatment.
Why is it performed?
Surgery in pediatric cancer is especially important when it comes to diagnosis and treatment. In this sense, surgery can serve to:
- Remove a tumor
- Diagnose
- Perform supportive care
- Treat possible complications related to the pathology
- To alleviate side effects
- Staging the disease (determining if the cancer has spread).
Pediatric oncologic surgery treats tumors in children.
What does it consist of?
Generally, to diagnose cancer, a biopsy must be performed. This consists of a surgical procedure in which a small sample of tissue is removed from a tumor, which will provide the necessary information to the specialist.
These analyses can help predict prognosis and determine the best treatment options. In some cases, removal of the tumor may be the only treatment, and in other situations, it may need to be combined with radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
For solid tumors, surgery is usually the first choice. This surgery consists of removing the tumor, where the specialist will make incisions of considerable size through the skin, muscle or bone. If the case is more favorable, less invasive techniques can be performed for the patient.
The most common solid tumors in children are the following:
- Tumors of the central nervous system
- Neuroblastoma
- Retinoblastoma
- Rhabdomyosarcoma
- Wilms tumor
- Osteosarcoma
- Ewing’s sarcoma
Preparation for pediatric oncologic surgery
Depending on the type of involvement and surgery used, the procedure can be performed on an outpatient or inpatient basis.
The physician will provide instructions on what the patient should do before and after the procedure. It is also important to prepare the child for the surgery, since one of the biggest fears will be separation from parents or fear of pain, which may cause stress or anxiety.
Finally, depending on the type of surgery, local or regional anesthesia will be used to avoid pain during the process.
Care after surgery
The recovery time and care that the patient will need will vary depending on the case. Many of the side effects of the treatments appear immediately after the intervention and disappear in a short time. It is important to notify the specialist and follow all the guidelines and recommendations.
The child will have to follow the appropriate follow-up during the recovery period and, in most cases, continue with periodic check-ups. There are some effects, known as late effects, that can appear long after surgery, so follow-up medical care is essential to treat them as soon as possible.
Alternatives to this treatment
In addition to pediatric oncologic surgery, there are other treatments, which are often combined:
- Radiotherapy
- Chemotherapy
- Bone marrow transplantation