In Choosing the Right Ovarian Cancer Surgeon, Experience Matters
- You should know the criteria that can help you make a more effective choice when it comes to your ovarian cancer surgeon
- Don’t assume that just because a surgeon uses robotic tools that they are are better
- Generally, the more times that someone has performed your same type of surgery, the more experienced they will be and equipped to deal with any complications and problems, should they arise
You should feel comfortable with your surgeon and feel free to ask as many questions as you want. Seek different opinions.
Read More According to Dr. James Wilder, a gynecologic oncology surgeon with South Texas Gynecologic Oncology in San Antonio Texas, part of the Baptist Health system, you may want to find a surgeon who performs more than just ovarian cancer surgery per week or per month. Instead, you probably want to find a surgeon that specializes exclusively in your particular surgery. As for finding a surgeon who is experienced in robotic ovarian cancer surgery, Dr. Wilder emphasized that having the robotic tools “does not make you a better surgeon.” Even with robotic surgery, there can be serious complications. “So if you were a bad surgeon doing open surgery, you would also be a bad surgeon during robotic surgery.” Generally speaking, the more that a surgeon performs a surgery, the better at it they should be, especially since the more problems they encounter, the more likely they are to be able to deal with those problems in the future should they occur in another patient.
According to Dr. Wilder, the same applies to most surgeries. “If you’re only performing vaginal surgery, you’ll probably be a very good vaginal surgeon,” he says. “And that would be the person I would want doing my surgery.”
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