Axillary lymph node dissection involves the removal of most of the lymph nodes in the axilla to systematically clear the area of potential cancer.
Colectomy (colon resection) is the removal of any portion of the colon along with the lymph nodes near the colon to assess for possible spread of cancer.
Esophagectomy is the removal of the esophagus for cancer and repair using the stomach as a conduit for food transit from the mouth to the intestines. This is typically done with one incision in the neck and one incision in the abdomen.
Excisional breast biopsy is the removal of an area of the breast for further evaluation.
Gastrectomy is the removal of a portion of or the entire stomach for gastric cancer or gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) with cytoreductive surgery is a complex operation performed for advanced cancers spreading throughout the entire abdomen, which requires surgical removal of all visible cancer, followed by heated intra-abdominal chemotherapy. This surgery is only offered at a small number of hospitals.
Liver Resection is the removal of a portion of the liver, either done open or with a minimally invasive approach. This operation can be done for primary liver cancer or for metastatic liver tumors - cancer from somewhere else in the body that is growing in the liver.
Lumpectomy or partial mastectomy is the removal of a breast tumor along with a healthy rim of tissue surrounding the tumor, leaving the remainder of the breast in place. If the tumor cannot be felt, the breast cancer is first localized using a wire or marker placed by a radiologist.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy is an injection of radiotracer, blue dye, or both to identify the lymph nodes draining the breast. Using a gamma probe or with visualization, these nodes are carefully removed to assess if the cancer has spread beyond the breast.
Nipple-sparing mastectomy is the removal of the glandular tissue of the breast, leaving the skin of the breast and nipple in place to assist with cosmetic appearance during reconstruction.
Simple mastectomy is the removal of the entire breast including the nipple and areola.
Skin-sparing mastectomy is the removal of the glandular tissue of the breast along with the nipple but leaving behind sufficient skin to assist with cosmetic appearance during reconstruction. This operation is appropriate if a patient desires reconstruction but the nipple cannot be safely preserved.
Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy) is the robotic removal of the pancreas head, first portion of the small intestine, gallbladder and bile duct with reconstruction, typically done for pancreatic tumors or pancreas cancer.