Radical surgery, also called radical dissection, is surgery that is more extensive than "conservative" surgery.
Radical surgery |
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In surgical oncology, radical surgery is surgery intended to remove both a tumor and any metastases thereof, for diagnostic and/or treatment purposes.[1] It typically describes the removal of a tumor or mass and ancillary lymph nodes that may drain the mass, as in radical mastectomy.[2] It is opposed to for example palliative surgery which is intended for symptom relief rather than complete removal of cancer tissue.
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In histopathology, radicality of tumor excisions is generally defined as the absence of tumor cells in a certain resection margin, with the specific margin width varying by tumor type and local guidelines.[3] A non-radical excision may require re-excision.[clarification needed]