Breast Cancer Surgery

Types of breast cancer surgery

The majority of women that are diagnosed with breast cancer will need to have some form of breast cancer surgery. There are two main types of breast cancer surgery; a mastectomy which involves removing the entire breast including the nipple, and a lumpectomy, also known as breast conserving surgery, where only the tissue containing the cancerous tumour is removed.

While some women do not have the option of having a lumpectomy, those that are diagnosed in the early stages of the cancer are often given a choice between a lumpectomy and mastectomy. Here is a little more information about the two types of breast cancer surgery, to help you choose between them if you are given the choice.

Breast Cancer Surgery 1 – Mastectomy

A mastectomy is usually recommended when you have a very large tumour, or the tumour is central to the breast. It is also necessary when the cancer has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body.

The extent of the mastectomy will depend on whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes located under your arm or not. If the cancer hasn’t spread only the breast will be removed, but if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes these will need to be removed as well. This is known as a modified mastectomy. In rare cases it may also be necessary to remove the muscles of your chest wall in a procedure known as a radical mastectomy.

The main side effect of a modified mastectomy in which the lymph nodes are removed is lymphoedema, where fluid builds up in your arm because the filtering action of the lymph nodes has been blocked by scarring. A drain may be fitted to remove built up fluid in the short term, but eventually the body should find its own way to get rid of excess fluid. This condition can develop months or even years after breast cancer surgery.

Breast Cancer Surgery 2 – Lumpectomy

During a lumpectomy operation, your surgeon will aim to remove as much as possible of the cancerous tumour, whilst saving as much of the healthy breast tissue as possible. The surgeon will always remove a little of the healthy tissue around the tumour, and this will be tested for cancer cells to determine further treatment, and to find out whether the cancer has spread or not.

A lumpectomy is usually recommended for a small tumour, caught in its early stages, perhaps where the tumour is located on one side of the breast. The amount of tissue removed can vary from a very small lump, to a quarter of the entire breast. The amount of tissue removed will depend on:

The size of your breasts

The size of the tumour

The location of the tumour

The type of cancer you have

A lumpectomy is a good option for many women, especially younger women, as it means they do not have to lose an entire breast. However, there is a higher risk of cancer recurring in the remaining breast, and if the healthy tissue taken during breast cancer surgery is found to contain cancerous cells, a further operation may be necessary.

A mastectomy may seem a drastic option, but it does reduce the chances that the cancer will recur, and a breast reconstruction operation could result in a natural looking breast replacement. Once they are diagnosed with breast cancer, many women feel more comfortable about having the entire breast removed in breast cancer surgery to get rid of as much of the cancer as possible.

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