Surgical Oncology

Minimally invasive surgery is surgery performed through small incisions. Using specialized techniques (either laparoscopically or robotically with the da Vinci Surgical Robot), miniature cameras with microscopes, tiny fiber-optic flashlights, and high-definition monitors, the entire operation is performed through an incision that requires only a stitch or two to close.

Minimally invasive surgery allows the patient to recover quickly with less pain and blood loss.

Radiofrequency ablation works by inserting a thin needle guided by computed tomography (CT) or ultrasound through the skin and into a tumor. Electrical energy delivered through this needle heats and destroys the tumor. During the following months, dead cells turn into a harmless scar. During the short RF ablation treatment, patients are under general anesthesia.

In most cases, a tumor can be adequately treated with one treatment session. A treatment takes about 15 minutes. Typically, RF ablation creates a zone of tissue destruction 3 – 5 centimeters in size.

After treatment, patients spend a night in the hospital and go home the next day. The procedure can be repeated if new cancer appears.

Through the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, the surgeons who practice at Northeast Georgia Health System participate in national research trials with the goal of improving surgical care for cancer patients. View our list of current clinical trials.

Reconstructive surgery is performed by plastic surgeons who reconstruct the area affected by surgical cancer removal.

A stereotactic breast biopsy is a safe and minimally invasive form of breast biopsy. It is used to obtain tiny samples from an abnormal breast mass for examination by a pathologist. Biopsies are the only definitive way to confirm if a breast abnormality is benign (non-cancerous) or not.

The sentinel lymph node is the first lymph node to which cancer is likely to spread from the primary tumor. Cancer cells may appear in the sentinel node before spreading to other lymph nodes. In some cases, there can be more than one sentinel lymph node.

SLN biopsy is a procedure in which the sentinel lymph node is removed and examined under a microscope to determine whether cancer cells are present. 

Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) allows:

• better visualization of the digestive tract and pancreas to help determine the size and location of tumors in the pancreas and whether cancer has spread to nearby blood vessels and organs
• passage of a needle into the tumor to obtain samples for a quicker and more accurate diagnosis

At Northeast Georgia Medical Center, EUS is performed by Neeraj Sharma, MD, of Gastroenterology Associates of Gainesville.