Surgical management of cancer.

In cancer surgery, operating time, tissue trauma and other stress should be minimized because circulating dormant tumor cells may be reactivated by stress, including that of anesthesia. Rectal polyps and Sertoli-cell tumors should be removed as soon after diagnosis as possible. Neutering is recommended to reduce the risk of certain tumors. Biopsies should contain tissue from the center and periphery of the lesion. Laparotomy or thoracotomy may be necessary to visually inspect internal tumors. Debulking or partial resection of large tumors may render them more susceptible to chemotherapy or irradiation. Palliative surgery may be desirable to comfortably prolong an animal's life. In curative surgery, enlarged local lymph nodes should also be resected, hemorrhage controlled and lavage used to prevent tumor-cell seeding. Complete resection should take precedence over reconstructing the defect created by resection.