Perspective on the Advances in Surgical Gynecologic Oncology

Abstract

In the management of women with gynecological malignancies, surgery remains the cornerstone. Gynecological oncology is a well-established sub-specialty of cancer care due to a well-defined training program for doctors and centralized patient referrals in most countries. Throughout time, gynecological oncologists have collaborated across disciplines to improve treatment approaches. Aside from our abdominal colleagues, our hepatobiliary and thoracic colleagues have joined this interprofessional effort as the anatomic fields of gynecologic oncology surgery expanded. A complex clinical scenario has led to major changes in the surgical approach in gynecological oncology. Early-stage cancer patients have generally been treated with minimal-access surgery rather than open surgery. The goal of adjuvant treatment has been to reduce the tumor load in women with advanced-stage disease by performing multivisceral surgery and staging the extent of the disease. Additionally, surgical options have been evaluated for women with recurrent disease or as part of symptom palliation. To describe recent advances in surgical gynecologic oncology, the authors tried to provide examples of key contributions