Uro Onco Surgery

Uro oncology surgery focuses on cancers affecting the genitourinary system. This specialized surgical branch deals with diagnosing, treating, and managing tumors in areas like the kidneys, bladder, prostate, testicles, ureters, penis and adrenal glands. Uro oncologists play a vital role by providing comprehensive care through various surgical techniques. Their goals include achieving optimal oncologic results while preserving urinary and sexual function whenever feasible. 

Significance of Uro Oncology Surgery

Cancers of the urinary system are common worldwide. These include prostate, bladder, kidney, and testicular cancers. Uro cancer surgery is vital for:

• Tumor Removal: Removing urinary system tumors through surgery aims to remove the entire tumor. This lowers the chance of cancer returning locally and may cure early-stage cancers.
• Lymph Node Evaluation: Checking the lymph nodes near the tumor helps determine the cancer stage. This aids in planning further treatment, such as additional therapies.
• Functional Preservation: In bladder, prostate, and kidney cancer surgeries, preserving urinary control, sexual function, kidney function, and quality of life is prioritized.

Types of Urology Cancers and Surgical Procedures

• Prostate Cancer: Radical prostatectomy removes the whole prostate gland by open surgery, laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery, or robotic surgery. To keep erectile function and bladder control, nerve-sparing techniques may be used.
• Bladder Cancer: Surgeries include TURBT (removing bladder tumor through the urethra), partial cystectomy (removing part of the bladder), radical cystectomy (removing whole bladder), and urine diversion with ileal conduit or continent urinary reservoir to reconstruct the bladder.
• Kidney Cancer: For small kidney (renal cell) tumors, partial nephrectomy removes just the cancerous part. For bigger tumors, radical nephrectomy takes out the whole kidney. Nephroureterectomy removes the kidney and ureter attached along with it.
• Testicular Cancer: Radical orchiectomy removes the cancerous testicle entirely. After this, chemotherapy or radiation therapy may follow, depending on tumor type, stage, and risk factors.
• Ureter and Renal Pelvis Cancer: Ureterectomy removes the ureter while nephroureterectomy removes kidney and ureter together. Reconstructive surgery reconnects and restores urinary tract function.

Benefits 

Urology oncology surgery offers several benefits:

• Curative Intent: It can cure cancer or control it long-term, mainly in early-stage urologic cancers. 
• Functional Preservation: Surgical techniques preserve function. Nervesparing techniques save urinary and sexual function, organ-sparing avoids removing full organs, and reconstruction improves the quality of life­. 
• Improved Outcomes: Combining surgery with other therapies improves outcomes while chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted therapy reduce its recurrence risks. Combining these with surgery improves the survival rate and optimizes oncologic outcomes.