SOME FACTS ABOUT CANCER SURGERY – RESULT OF OPERATION
This is not to say that having an operation cannot possibly result in some patients dying of cancer a bit sooner than they would have otherwise. For example, it is known that anaesthetics and stress depress the function of the immune system. Experiments on animals with extensive cancer have shown that those that have a ‘look and see’ operation do die, on average, a little earlier than animals which do not. Notice that I said animals having a ‘look and see’ operation, not animals having an operation at which something is done to the cancer.
Try to keep these facts in perspective. If your cancer is apparently localised, surgery probably offers you the best, and maybe the only, chance of cure. If it is extensive, surgery could be the best way of controlling or preventing very unpleasant symptoms. If you stand to gain a lot from surgery, the possible temporary effects of the stress and anaesthetic on your immune system would not be enough to outweigh the probable benefit. On the other hand, they could be if your planned operation has only a small chance of achieving some minor and temporary benefit.
*224/40/1*
