Cancer Surgery

Cancer treatment often involves surgery, and the services available at UMass Memorial Health are outstanding. Our team includes surgeons specializing in cancer (surgical oncologists), as well as surgical subspecialists in areas such as breast and genitourinary cancer. Many of our surgeons are nationally recognized for contributions to their respective fields. You can count on us for high-quality care that helps you achieve your treatment goals. 

Advanced Surgery for Cancer

UMass Memorial offers specialized treatments in Central Massachusetts and beyond. We often use minimally invasive techniques that involve smaller incisions and robotic technologies that lead to precise, gentler care. 

Areas of expertise include:

• Bone and soft tissue cancer: Orthopedic surgeons excel in removing these tumors, some of which are extremely rare.
• Brain tumors: Options include skull base surgery that enables us to access difficult-to-reach tumors with less disruption to healthy tissue.
• Breast cancer: We offer breast-conserving surgery, which removes the cancer and a thin margin of tissue instead of the entire breast.
• Colorectal cancer: You have access to sphincter-sparing surgery for rectal cancer, which preserves your ability to control bowel movements.
• Gynecologic cancer: Gynecologic oncologists use sophisticated techniques to treat cancers affecting the cervix, uterus, vagina, ovaries and other pelvic tissue.
• Head and neck cancer: We remove cancers in the mouth, throat and other areas while minimizing permanent changes to appearance and functioning. 
• Liver tumors: Surgeons care for tumors that previously had few treatments using options such as liver transplantation.
• Lung cancer: You have access to an innovative technique that diagnoses and treats lung cancer in a single procedure.
• Melanoma: Options include Mohs surgery for early-stage melanomas. This treatment gets rid of fast-growing cancers and is highly successful.  
• Peritoneal cancer: We treat this rare disease with surgery to remove as much cancer as possible, followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). 
• Prostate cancer: Surgeons use nerve-sparing techniques to remove the prostate while preserving your ability to control the bladder and get an erection.