What is surgery meant to do?
Surgery takes the cancer out. It works best when the cancer is in one place and can be reached, which is why not everyone is offered it.
Sometimes we treat first to shrink it, then operate. Sometimes we operate first, then treat to clear what the eye cannot see. Ask your team which order you are in and why.
Written by two physicians. Checked against patient information from the US National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK.