The effects of surgery on tumour growth: a century of investigations

R. Demicheli, M. Retsky, W. Hrushesky, M. Baum, I. G. D. Gukas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

311 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A few clinical investigations suggest that while primary breast cancer surgical removal favorably modifies the natural history for some patients, it may also hasten the metastatic development for others. The concepts underlying this disease paradigm, i.e. tumor homeostasis, tumor dormancy and surgery-driven enhancement of metastasis development, have a long history that is reviewed. The review reveals the context in which these concepts were conceived and structured to explain experimental data and shows that they are not so new and far fetched. The idea that surgical cancer resection has both beneficial and adverse effects upon cancer spread and growth that result from the modulation of tumor dormancy by the resection should be considered a potentially fruitful working hypothesis.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1821-1828
Number of pages8
JournalAnnals of Oncology
Volume19
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2008

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