Palliative surgery

Palliative surgery is important in cancer management and is related to surgical oncology. It is performed when it has been decided that the cancer is incurable and the cancer is giving the patient symptoms which can be treated by surgery.

Typical indications include pain, bowel obstruction, bleeding, and dysphagia. Gastrointestinal tumours and other tumours which compress other structures are the most frequent cancers requiring palliative surgery.

Resection, bypass, or applying a stent may be used to relieve biliary or gastrointestinal obstruction. For example, an incurable oesophageal cancer may compress the oesophagus and causing symptoms; a stent can be placed in the oesophagus to keep it open. Another common indication is that a cholangiocarcinoma or pancreatic cancer which compresses the bile duct, causing jaundice and itching. A stent can be placed in the biliary tree to keep it open.