What is soft tissue tumor excision?

Each child recovers from surgery at a different pace. The time it takes for your child to heal will depend on several things, such as where the tumor was and how it was removed.

You will be given instructions about how to care for your child at home. These instructions will include information about things like incision care and when it's okay for your child to return to normal activity.

Your child may have follow-up visits to the doctor after surgery. If the tumor was cancer, your child will likely need more treatment.

Your child will be kept comfortable and safe by the anesthesia provider. Your child will be asleep during the surgery.

How the doctor removes the tumor depends on the type of tumor it is. It also depends on whether it affects nearby tissue. Some tumors can be removed with a small incision (cut). For others, the doctor may need to take some extra tissue from around the edges of the tumor too. If a lot of tissue needs to be removed, your child may get skin grafts to repair the wound.

Your child may have surgery to remove a soft tissue tumor if the tumor causes pain or problems with movement, if it's likely to cause problems, or if the doctor suspects (or knows) that the tumor is cancer.