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OAHU ONCOLOGICAL & RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGEONS

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Surgical oncology is the branch of surgery which focuses on the surgical aspects of cancer including biopsy, staging, surgical resection of tumors, and repair of affected organs. The specialty also covers after-treatment aspects like reconstruction (plastic surgery) and rehabilitation (occupational or physiotherapy to help patients return to everyday activities and adapt to physical changes following surgery). A surgical oncologist is a medical doctor who has undergone three to four years of study and training in surgical oncology after having completed medical school and a 4 year residency in general surgery.

Cancer is caused by a series of acquired or inherited mutations to DNA within the cells, damaging genetic information that defines cell functions. This removes normal control and there is abnormal and uncontrolled cell division. The result is a mass, or tumor, which invades and destroys surrounding normal tissues. Cancer cells from the tumor can spread through the blood or lymph to start new cancers in other parts of the body. A surgical oncologist cures cancer by surgically removing the tumor and surrounding tissue to ensure that all of the cancer is removed.

The tumor can develop in any part of the body; hence there are many different kinds of cancers. A few of these are:

• Gastrointestinal cancer: This includes esophageal, stomach, liver, pancreatic, gallbladder, anal, colon, rectal, small and large intestine cancers. Main symptoms for all these cancers are similar – pain in the abdomen often extending to the back, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, weakness and fatigue.

• Lung cancer : Symptoms include chronic cough, coughing up blood, chronic chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, hoarseness, fever, and fatigue.

• Brain cancer : There are many different symptoms for this depending on which part of the brain the tumor is in. Some of these symptoms are seizures, vision problems, hearing problems, dizziness, memory problems, motor problems, nausea and vomiting.

• Melanoma (skin cancer) : The first sign of melanoma is a change in the size (increase), shape (when one half doesn't match the other half), color (shades of different colors) or feel (edges become ragged and irregular) of an existing mole.

• Breast cancer : Common signs are a lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area; a change in the size or shape of the breast; nipple discharge or tenderness or the nipple pulled back (inverted) into the breast; ridges or pitting of the breast; a change in the way the skin of the breast, areola, or nipple looks or feels (e.g., warm, swollen, red or scaly).

• Cervical (of the cervix) cancer) : No early symptoms. Later ones include vaginal discharge, blood in discharge, vaginal odor (in discharge), abnormal vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, blood in urine, bladder and bowel symptoms, blood in stool.

• Leukemia (cancer of the blood cells, mainly white blood cells) : No early symptoms. Later ones include anemia, shortness of breath, flu-like symptoms, fever, chills, bleeding and bruising easily, loss of appetite, and weight loss.

If you feel you have any of the symptoms related to any of the cancers, do take them seriously and don't delay seeing a surgical oncologist. A list of surgical oncologists in Oahu has been compiled for you by Oahu.us. The list follows.

Honolulu

Aiea

Ewa Beach

Kaneohe

Kailua

Kapolei

Mililani

Wahiawa

Waianae

Wailuku

Waipahu

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