Breast cancer surgery

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

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Surgery

Surgery involves the physical removal of the tumor, typically along with some of the surrounding tissue and frequently sentinel node biopsy.

Standard surgeries include:

• Mastectomy: Removal of the whole breast.
• Quadrantectomy: Removal of one quarter of the breast.
• Lumpectomy: Removal of a small part of the breast.

If the patient desires, then breast reconstruction surgery, a type of cosmetic surgery, may be performed to create an aesthetic appearance. In other cases, women use breast prostheses to simulate a breast under clothing, or choose a flat chest.