Surgical oncology is a specialty that deals with the surgical resection of tumors. Oncological surgery is now recognized as a specialized field that needs dedicated training as significant changes have occurred in the past few decades. Surgery, one of the oldest modalities used to treat solid tumors, is now supplemented with adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapies with better outcomes. Oncological surgery includes the guiding principles in surgical management, improved perioperative care, expedited recovery, minimally invasive techniques, reconstruction and rehabilitation. There has also been a paradigm shift toward de-escalation in surgery by encouraging conservative/organ preservative and minimally invasive surgery to decrease morbidity without compromising disease outcomes.