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One common myth about cancer is that it will spread if it is exposed to air during surgery. Some people may believe this because they often feel worse after surgery than they did before. But it is normal to feel this way when beginning to recover from any surgery. Another reason people may believe this is because during surgery the doctor may find more cancer than was expected from scans and x-rays. This can happen, but it is not because of the surgery – the cancer was already there – it just didn’t show up on the tests that were done. Cancer does not spread because it has been exposed to air. If you delay or refuse surgery because of this myth, then you may be harming yourself by passing up effective treatment.

http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/TreatmentTypes/Surgery/surgery-surgery-and-cancer-spread