A mastectomy is surgery to remove part or all of the breast, usually to treat breast cancer by removing the cancer.
- It may be the first treatment for some types of breast cancer, or come after chemotherapy for others.
- For people at very high risk, it is sometimes done to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Types of breast surgery
They differ in how much breast tissue and how many lymph nodes — part of the immune system — are removed.
| Surgery | What is removed |
|---|---|
| Total (simple) mastectomy | all breast tissue and the nipple of the affected breast; some underarm lymph nodes may be removed and checked for cancer |
| Modified radical mastectomy | the affected breast, including the nipple, areola (the dark skin around the nipple) and skin, most underarm lymph nodes, and often the lining over the chest muscles |
| Lumpectomy (breast-sparing) | the tumor and some normal tissue around it, but not the breast; some underarm lymph nodes may be checked, and part of the chest wall lining removed if cancer is near it |
Which surgery depends on the cancer's stage, the tumor's size, the breast's size, and whether the lymph nodes are involved.
Other treatments
Whatever the surgery, you may also need radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or targeted therapy.
Reconstruction
Breast reconstruction can be done at the same time as the mastectomy or later. Your provider may suggest waiting if radiation is part of your treatment.
Sources
Based on "Mastectomy," MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, drawing on the NIH National Cancer Institute; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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