Surgical Oncology 

Surgical oncology deals with the physical removal of tumors and surrounding tissues. This includes biopsies to assess whether cells are cancerous, staging to determine how advanced the disease is, and resection to remove the tumor itself.  Cancer surgery is often combined with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

The surgical oncology team at UC Irvine Medical Center includes experts in breast, endocrine, sarcoma, melanoma and gastrointestinal cancer surgery. They are located at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, which provides a full range of diagnostic and treatment services for patients with confirmed or suspected malignancies.

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Because we take a multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment, surgical oncology procedures are coordinated with all other aspects of patient care. Whenever possible, our surgeons use minimally invasive state-of-the-art techniques that can reduce trauma and shorten recovery times.  For breast cancer patients, this may involve skin-sparing and/or nipple-sparing mastectomies for a more acceptable cosmetic result.  Patients requiring adrenalectomy (removal of the adrenal glands) may be treated laparoscopically, involving four small incisions rather than open surgery.

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Neoadjuvant therapies such as radiation, chemotherapy or hormones that can shrink tumors may also be used prior to surgery.  By reducing the bulk of cancerous tissue, neoadjuvant therapies can improve the feasibility of performing less invasive surgical procedures.

The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is located near to the Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Institute at UC Irvine Medical Center. This proximity facilitates collaborations between surgical oncologists and plastic surgeons, enabling reconstructive procedures to be combined with cancer surgeries, as appropriate.

As the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Orange County, we provide patients access to advanced treatments through participation in innovative research programs.

Breast cancer is a major research focus.  For example, we are working in collaboration with researchers at the UC Irvine Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic on optical laser detection devices. These devices can tell the difference between malignant breast cancer, benign lesions and normal breast tissue.  The lasers are also being tested as an early monitoring system to assess if patients are responding to chemotherapy.

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We are also at the forefront in melanoma surgery. Our surgical oncologists work with dermatopathologists, dermatologists and plastic surgeons to diagnose and treat skin melanomas in their earliest stages. The use of sentinel node mapping and immunotherapy for melanoma patients are two of the many clinical trials in which we are involved. 

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