
Understanding Cancer Treatment Options: Surgery
04/11/25 • 25 min
Learn how your treatment plan is decided and terms you may see
We continue our series to help you understand cancer and its treatment. This week we focus on surgery, the oldest form of cancer treatment. Learn about surgery timing, types of cancer surgery, and how NCCN evidence-based guidelines provide a standard treatment path no matter where you are.
In this Episode:
- 02:58 - Wisconsin-Cheese, UFOs, and Booyah Stew
- 04:52 - Anna Quindlen: Get a Life Where You Are Generous"
- 08:06 - Medical Specialists Involved in Cancer Care
- 08:52 - Treatment Decisions, Tumor Board and NCCN Guidelines
- 12:03 - Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Therapy
- 13:13 - Surgery Timing, Reasons and Types
- 18:00 - Discussion - NCCN and Role of Research
- 24:34 - Reeves Keyworth:“On Loved Ones Telling the Dying to ‘Let Go”
- 23:54 - Outro
Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy alone or in combination are the most-common methods used to treat cancer. Specific treatment varies depending on the kind of cancer, the extent of the disease, its rate of progression, and the condition of the person. Surgery alone may not result in a cure and often chemotherapy and/or radiation are needed after surgery. Learn all about surgery and the guidelines your doctor will be following for your treatment.
Get show notes and resources at our website: every1dies.org.
Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | [email protected]
Learn how your treatment plan is decided and terms you may see
We continue our series to help you understand cancer and its treatment. This week we focus on surgery, the oldest form of cancer treatment. Learn about surgery timing, types of cancer surgery, and how NCCN evidence-based guidelines provide a standard treatment path no matter where you are.
In this Episode:
- 02:58 - Wisconsin-Cheese, UFOs, and Booyah Stew
- 04:52 - Anna Quindlen: Get a Life Where You Are Generous"
- 08:06 - Medical Specialists Involved in Cancer Care
- 08:52 - Treatment Decisions, Tumor Board and NCCN Guidelines
- 12:03 - Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Therapy
- 13:13 - Surgery Timing, Reasons and Types
- 18:00 - Discussion - NCCN and Role of Research
- 24:34 - Reeves Keyworth:“On Loved Ones Telling the Dying to ‘Let Go”
- 23:54 - Outro
Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy alone or in combination are the most-common methods used to treat cancer. Specific treatment varies depending on the kind of cancer, the extent of the disease, its rate of progression, and the condition of the person. Surgery alone may not result in a cure and often chemotherapy and/or radiation are needed after surgery. Learn all about surgery and the guidelines your doctor will be following for your treatment.
Get show notes and resources at our website: every1dies.org.
Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | [email protected]
Previous Episode

How to Help Someone Feel Seen, Heard and Understood
Why “What Do You Need from Me?” Should be Among the First Things We Say
When someone with serious illness needs to make a decision about treatment, is facing the end of their life, or grieving the death of a loved one, it’s easy to feel like you just don’t know what to say. Learn conversational tools to help them more effectively. https://bit.ly/42hWWEw
#friendship #grieving #whattosay #comfort #howtohelp #treatmentdecisions #dyingfriend #cancer #support #communication #listening #activelistening #seenheardunderstood #HUA
In this Episode:
- 04:23 – Iowa Road Trip and Recipe of the Week
- 06:44 – “Get a Life, A Real Life” – Excerpt by Anna Quindlen
- 09:15 – How to See, Hear and Understand in Our Relationships
- 17:21 – Honoring the Life of Hurricane, the most decorated K-9 officer in US history
- 19:23 – Outro
Related Podcasts:
- S3E18: What to Say to People Who are Grieving
- How Do You Comfort a Dying Loved One?
- S4E5: How to Write a Condolence Note
- S4E1: How to Share the News of a Death with Someone who has Dementia
- S5E6: Mothers and Their Daughters, A Blessing and a Curse
- S3E1: What you can do to help a grieving pet
- S5E3: Grief Groceries – Care Packages for the Bereaved
- S3E14: 15 Ways to Help a Grieving Child
- S1E19: Helping children with loss of a grandparent – with Tracy Harding
Get show notes and resources at our website: every1dies.org.
Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | [email protected]
Next Episode

Understanding Cancer Treatment Options: Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is the use of ionizing radiation—X-rays, gamma rays, or subatomic particles such as neutrons—to destroy cancer cells. Learn how it works, the types of radiation, and early and late side effects you may see. https://bit.ly/4cEClyU
In this Episode:
- 01:52 - Road Trip - Louisiana, and Crunch Cake Recipe
- 03:30 - Anna Quindlin - The Dividing Line
- 06:52 - Radiation Therapy Explained
- 12:16 - Radiation Side Effects
- 17:35 - Late Effects of Radiation Therapy
- 20:54 - Discussion - Not Being Able to Swallow
- 26:06 - The Mole Agent and The Man on the Inside
- 30:48 - Outro
Related Content:
- S6E2: Understanding Cancer Treatment Options: Surgery
- S5E52: Cancer Gone Wild – Learn All About Metastasis
- S5E45: Why Does Cancer Exist? Empower Yourself With Understanding
- S5E46: “Why Do I Have Cancer?” Kismet, Chastisement or Coincidence?
- S5E47: MythBusters – Cancer Edition; Clarifying Common Cancer Myths & Misconceptions
- S5E48: How to Read a CT Scan Report – Learn the Sections Relevant to Your Diagnosis
- S5E49: Are there Miracle Cures for Cancer? With Dr. Jeanna Ford
- S5E50: What is Meant by Cancer Staging? Learn the Language of a Cancer Diagnosis
Get show notes and resources at our website: every1dies.org.
Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | [email protected]
Everyone Dies (Every1Dies) - Understanding Cancer Treatment Options: Surgery
Transcript
Hello and welcome to Everyone Dies, the podcast where we talk about serious illness, dying, death and bereavement. I'm Marianne Matzo, I'm a nurse practitioner and I use my experience from working as a nurse for 47 years to help answer your questions about what happens at the end of life. And I'm Charlie Navarette, an actor in New York City and here to offer an every person viewpoint to our podcast.
We are both here because we believe that the more you know, the better prepared you are t
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