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Surgical Oncology – Principles, Planning, and Decision-Making

Topic outline

  • Hero Banner

  • Welcome & Orientation

  • Learning Outcomes

    • On successful completion of this module, candidates will be able to:

      Foundations of Oncological Surgery

      • Apply the principles of oncologic surgery, including resection margins, tissue plane dissection, and early vascular control, to optimise patient outcomes.
      • Select and perform appropriate biopsy techniques (FNA, incisional, excisional), considering diagnostic yield and surgical planning.

      Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Oncological Surgery

      • Plan surgical resections with appropriate margin strategies (numerical, barrier, or compartmental), tailored to tumour type and location.

      Species Specific Considerations

      • Identify feline-specific oncologic presentations (e.g., FISS, feline MCT) and adapt management accordingly.

      Tumour Specific Considerations

      • Formulate a structured diagnostic and staging approach to patients presenting with cutaneous or subcutaneous tumours.
      • Describe the biological behaviour, grading systems, and treatment recommendations for mast cell tumours, soft tissue sarcomas, and mammary neoplasms.
      • Evaluate the role of imaging (radiography, ultrasound, CT, MRI) in diagnosis, staging, and surgical planning for neoplastic conditions.
      • Plan surgical resections with appropriate margin strategies (numerical, barrier, or compartmental), tailored to tumour type and location.
      • Interpret pathology reports on surgical margins and incorporate results into follow-up treatment planning.
      • Discuss the principles, indications, and limitations of adjunct therapies such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy in small animal oncology.
      • Evaluate the anaesthetic, analgesic, and fluid considerations specific to oncologic surgeries and integrate them into perioperative care.
      • Determine when referral to a specialist is indicated based on tumour complexity, anatomical location, surgeon competence, and requirement for (neo)adjuvant therapy.

  • SECTION: Tumour Specific Considerations

    • Once principles are established, surgery becomes tumour-specific. This section examines how biological behaviour, anatomical constraints and clinical priorities shape surgical strategy for individual neoplasms.

    • Lectures

      • Lecture

      • Completion
        Students must
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        Soft Tissue Sarcomas Page

        Every first surgery sets the outcome. This session focuses on planning definitive sarcoma resections.

        Duration: 27:02 minutes

      • Completion
        Students must
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        Oral Tumours Page

        Every millimetre matters. This session examines oncological surgery in one of the most complex anatomical spaces. Balance control, function and quality of life.

        Duration: 32:26 minutes

      • Completion
        Students must
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        Mast Cell Tumours Page

        Every mast cell tumour behaves differently. This session explores how risk, location and biology guide margin selection.

        Duration: 22:13 minutes

      • Completion
        Students must
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        Anorectal Tumours Page

        Every approach has consequences. This session examines tumour control alongside continence and comfort. Anorectal surgery demands both precision and foresight.

        Duration: 26:18 minutes

      • Completion
        Students must
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        Mammary Neoplasms Page

        This session explores evidence-based surgical strategies for mammary neoplasia. Move beyond routine toward rational decision-making.

        Duration: 20:46 minutes

      • Completion
        Students must
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        Gastrointestinal Tumours Page

        Every lumen presents a challenge. This session explores surgical decision-making in gastric and intestinal neoplasia. Resect decisively and reconstruct thoughtfully.

        Duration: 20:33 minutes

    • Active Learning Activity

      • Error Management Training

      • Error Management Training

        In this activity, you are presented with a 7-year-old Golden Retriever exhibiting a recurrent cutaneous mast cell tumour three months post-excision. This case challenges you to navigate the critical decision-making process between simple re-intervention and comprehensive restaging, helping you to identify and avoid common clinical pitfalls in tumour management.

      • Completion
        Students must
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        The Mass is Back Page

      • Interactive Clinical Case

      • Interactive Clinical Case

        In this interactive clinical case, you will follow the diagnostic reasoning and decision making process for a dog presenting with a slowly progressive soft tissue mass. Using the clinical information provided, you will be challenged to interpret key findings, consider differential diagnoses, and select appropriate diagnostic and management steps as the case unfolds.

      • Completion
        Students must
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        Soft Tissue Sarcomas Page

      • Consensus and Controversies

      • Consensus and Controversies

        In this activity, you’ll explore the practical and often challenging distinction between vomiting and regurgitation in first opinion practice. The discussion focuses on how clinical history and presenting features guide decision making, where these approaches may break down, and how clinicians can navigate grey zones to make defensible and patient centred choices.

      • Completion
        Students must
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        Melanoma. Staging, Local Control, and the Adjuvant Grey Zone - Vet Knowledge Centre Page

        Before starting this activity, you are required to read the scientific papers provided. By clicking on this activity, you will gain direct access to the papers. A thorough review of these readings is a necessary requirement for completing the task.


        Please note that the activity questions will only become available once you have entered this activity, ensuring that you first engage with the required materials. This preparation will help you approach the activity with the appropriate background knowledge.

      • Completion
        Students must
        Student must submit this questionnaire to complete it
        Questionnaire icon
        Melanoma. Staging, Local Control, and the Adjuvant Grey Zone Questionnaire
      • File icon
        Melanoma - Case Based Model Answers File
        376.9 KB · Uploaded 14/01/26, 14:12

      • Human vs. AI

      • Human Vs AI

        In this edition of Human vs. AI, we explore key surgical decisions in managing mammary tumours in dogs and cats. Through five clinical questions based on real scenarios and recent literature, we compare AI-generated answers, guided by evidence, with those of an experienced surgeon.

      • Completion
        Students must
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        Mammary Tumours Page

      • Virtual Journal Club

      • Virtual Journal Club

        In this activity, we will critically analyse a published clinical study examining outcomes after rectal pull-through surgery in dogs with rectal masses. Although the paper focuses on a specific surgical problem, our aim is not to memorise tumour types or exact figures, but to develop an analytical lens: how the cases were selected, how outcomes were measured, what drives confidence (or caution) in the conclusions, and how we might apply the evidence to real-world case planning and owner communication.

      • Reverse Engineering Clinical Case

      • Reverse Engineering Clinical Case

        This activity presents a single case built from real situations that occurred in veterinary hospitals (anonymized). Your task is to study the case and identify the critical control points where things went wrong. The goal is not to make a diagnosis, but to reverse engineer the sequence of decisions and omissions that led to failure. Think like a clinical detective: small choices often decide whether a wound heals or breaks down.

      • Completion
        Students must
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        The Quiet Leak Page

  • Clinical Debate & Strategic Communication

    • Clinical Debate & Strategic Communication

      Surgical Oncology Under Real-World Constraints

      This capstone activity draws together the key themes from Module 3: Surgical Oncology – Principles, Planning, and Decision-Making. You will work through four realistic oncology scenarios designed to test how you plan safe surgery when certainty is incomplete, time and budget are limited, and owner expectations are high. The focus is not on having a single “right” answer, but on building a defendable plan and communicating it clearly to both colleagues and owners.

      How it works?

      1. Review the clinical cases presented below.
      2. Complete the questions related to each case; they are divided into a veterinary section and another focused on communication with the owner.
      3. Join the live session and take part. If you can’t attend, don’t worry, it will be recorded and made available afterwards.

      During this activity, we will explore real clinical scenarios involving patients with different oncological presentations. We look forward to seeing you there.

      Speaker: Bruce Nwadike DVM, DACVS, MRCVS Small Animal Surgeon.

  • Vet Knowledge Centre

    • Welcome to the Vet Knowledge Centre

      In a world overflowing with information yet limited by time, the true challenge is not access to knowledge but knowing what truly matters.The Vet Knowledge Centre gathers the most valuable readings, podcasts, and learning tools selected by the Improve team to enrich your understanding of each module’s key themes.Whether you are revisiting core ideas on the move or exploring new concepts in a quiet moment, this space offers clarity, focus, and clinically relevant insight.

    • Completion
      Students must
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      Reading Room Page

      A selection of key papers and articles to deepen your scientific and clinical understanding.

    • Completion
      Students must
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      Listening Room Page

      Audio versions of key papers, relevant podcasts, and a spoken summary of the module, making it easier to learn on the go.

    • From Outer Space

    • Completion
      Students must
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      From Outer Space! Page

      A unique collection of multimedia resources drawn from other professions and disciplines, offering new perspectives and transferable insights that can enrich your veterinary practice.

  • Completion

    • Well done!

      You’ve completed the “Surgical Oncology – Principles, Planning, and Decision-Making” module.

      Thank you for your hard work. In recognition of your achievement, you’ve earned a badge.

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