When actor Cameron Mathison, 50, posted a photo of himself on Instagram this week frolicking in the snow and looking fit and healthy, fans rejoiced. The former soap opera actor, who most recently starred on Hallmark Channel’s “The Christmas Club,” had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on his kidney, and the post came just 11 weeks after major surgery — a partial nephrectomy, which removed part of the organ — which could leave some to wonder how the star recovered so quickly.
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What was his secret? Was it Mathison’s diet? His overall health? Something else entirely? And why are recovery periods so different for different people?
SurvivorNet decided to ask an expert about the factors that determine how quickly someone can bounce back after major cancer surgery. Dr. Heather Yeo, a medical advisor to SurvivorNet and a colorectal cancer surgeon at Weill Cornell Medical Center / NewYork Presbyterian in New York City, shares 8 factors that can play into recovery time:
1. Overall Health Before Surgery
“Surgery is a bit like a race or marathon,” Dr. Yeo says. “The healthier you are going into it, the more likely you are to do well and recover after it. Preoperative health and fitness matters.”
2. Age
“Our health may decline, but a fit older adult can do just as well or better as a middle-age one,” Dr. Yeo explains. “Age alone is not a contraindication to surgery.”
3. Mental Health
“Data have shown that anxiety and depression can be risk factors for a slower recovery,” Dr. Yeo says.
4. Smoking and Eating Habits
“Smoking slows down healing, as does poor nutrition,” Dr. Yeo says. These habits can play into your heart health, anr important consideration before surgery. “Patients with risk factors will need to be cleared by a medical professional” before surgery, she adds.
5. The Surgical Technique
“Patients recover faster from minimally invasive techniques, such as laparoscopic, robotic, endoscopic, thoracoscopic, and robotic surgery,” Dr. Yeo says.
Dr. Yeo spoke with SurvivorNet about how to decide when robotic surgery is right for you
6. How Often the Surgeon Performs the Procedure
“It has been shown that surgeons who do more of the procedures [and] specialists often have [patients with] shorter length of stays and improved outcomes,” she says.
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7. The Area of Body Affected
“Depending on the organ, bowel function, urinary function, etc. may be affected,” Dr. Yeo says. “But your body has a remarkable ability to adjust.”
8. Food and Exercise
“Healthy, high-protein diets before and after surgery, exercise, depending on post-surgical restrictions, can help,” Dr. Yeo says.
“Your body has a remarkable ability to adjust,” Yeo adds. “[Some surgeries] are not easy emotionally, functionally, but many people recover with amazing quality of life. And there are support groups and physicians and surgeons who are here to help with this.”.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.