Almost every surgical specialty is, in part, cancer surgery. This topic gives you the shared language first: what makes a cell malignant, how a tumour is staged, which genes matter and why the multidisciplinary team decides together. Work down the path in order, or jump to the level you need.
Your learning path
- 1Level 1
Foundations
What cancer is, how it spreads, how we stage it and the markers we measure.
- MMolecular track
Cancer genes
The genes and pathways behind cancer, and the inherited syndromes surgeons must recognise.
- SScreening track
Finding cancer early
How screening works, its biases and harms, and the main programmes.
- 2Level 2
Diagnosis and the MDT
From a suspicious symptom to a tissue diagnosis, staging and a team decision.
- 3Level 3
Treatment principles
Surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted and immune therapy, and oncological emergencies.
- 4Level 4
The common surgical cancers
Breast, colorectal, stomach, oesophagus, pancreas, liver, thyroid and skin.
Test yourself: 12 questions
Tap an answer to see the explanation. Your best score is kept on this device.
1.A tumour of glandular epithelium that invades through the basement membrane is called…
Invasion through the basement membrane makes it malignant; glandular epithelium makes it an adenocarcinoma.
2.Which statement about tumour grade and stage is correct?
A small (low-stage) tumour can still be poorly differentiated (high grade).
3.A colorectal cancer specimen shows tumour cells at the circumferential margin under the microscope. This is…
R1 is microscopic residual tumour at the margin; R2 is visible residual tumour.
4.Which marker is most useful for detecting recurrence after resection of colorectal cancer?
Measure a baseline and follow the trend; a rising CEA prompts imaging.
5.A jaundiced patient has a CA 19-9 of 600. What is the most accurate statement?
CA 19-9 rises with biliary obstruction and often falls after drainage.
6.Knudson’s two-hit hypothesis applies to…
Both copies of a tumour suppressor must be lost; in inherited cancer one hit is present from birth.
7.Which result makes a colorectal cancer likely to respond well to checkpoint immunotherapy?
MSI-high tumours carry many mutations and are highly visible to the immune system.
8.A 32-year-old with colorectal cancer, whose mother had endometrial cancer at 48, most likely has…
Young colorectal cancer plus endometrial cancer in the family is the classic Lynch pattern.
9.Which bias makes survival look longer after screening even if death comes at the same time?
Diagnosis simply moves earlier; the date of death does not change.
10.A man has a hard testicular mass. How should tissue be obtained?
A scrotal approach seeds a different lymphatic field; the inguinal route controls the cord first.
11.Chemotherapy given before surgery to shrink a rectal cancer is called…
Adjuvant treatment is given after surgery.
12.A patient on chemotherapy has a temperature of 38.6 °C. What is the priority?
Treat as neutropenic sepsis until proven otherwise; do not wait for the blood count.
Revise and remember
Practise on the cancers you will see
For learning, not for treatment decisions
Staging systems, screening ages and drug choices change and vary between countries. Check your local guidelines and the MDT before applying anything here to a patient.
Frequently asked questions
What should medical students know about surgical oncology?
The shared basics: benign versus malignant tumours, how cancer spreads, TNM staging and grade, tumour markers, the main inherited cancer syndromes, screening, how the MDT decides treatment, and the oncological emergencies.
Is this oncology guide free?
Yes. Every page, the quiz and the cheat sheets are free, written and reviewed by a consultant surgeon.