palliative resection
Surgical removal of tumor tissue primarily to relieve symptoms rather than achieve cure in advanced cancer.
Full Definition
Palliative resection refers to surgical intervention in advanced or metastatic cancer where the primary goal is symptom relief and quality of life improvement rather than curative intent. Common indications include bowel obstruction from colorectal tumors, bleeding from gastric cancers, or compression symptoms from large tumor masses. Unlike curative resections that prioritize oncological principles such as wide margins and complete lymphadenectomy, palliative procedures focus on symptom control with acceptable morbidity. The decision for palliative resection requires careful consideration of patient performance status, life expectancy, operative risk, and available alternative treatments. Documentation should clearly indicate the palliative intent to distinguish from curative procedures.
Usage
Usage note: Clearly document palliative intent in operative notes to distinguish from curative procedures.
In Context
- "The patient underwent palliative resection of the obstructing sigmoid tumor to restore bowel continuity." — Operative report
- "Given extensive hepatic metastases, the gastric resection was performed with palliative rather than curative intent." — Multidisciplinary conference notes