cancer-journal

Diagnose and stage the cancer. Surgery can identify the tumor
   type, extent of growth, size, nodal involvement, and regional
   and/or distant spread.
Cure the cancer. The primary goal of cancer surgery is cure.
   Definitive or curative surgery involves removing the entire
   tumor, associated lymph nodes, and a margin of
   surrounding tissue. Early diagnosis is essential when the goal
   is cure.
Relieve the symptoms. Surgery can be used to minimize
   symptoms of advanced disease, such as neurosurgical
   procedures for pain control.
Reconstruct or rehabilitate. Sometimes the goal of surgery is to
   minimize deformity and improve the patient’s quality of life
   (as in breast, head and neck reconstruction).

Surgery alone can be curative in patients with localized disease, but it is often necessary to combine surgery with other types of treatment in order to achieve higher response rates.