Learning About Breast Cancer Surgery

What is breast cancer surgery?

Surgery is a key part of treatment for breast cancer. The type of surgery you have depends on the size, location, and type of the cancer. It also depends on your health and what is important to you.

Your doctor may combine treatments. This is a common way to treat breast cancer. You may have surgery to remove the cancer. After surgery you may need other treatments, such as radiation, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy.

During the surgery, the doctor may remove lymph nodes from the armpit. The lymph nodes will be looked at under a microscope. This is used to check if cancer has spread from the breast into the lymph nodes.

What surgeries are used?

Lumpectomy

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slide 1 of 8, Lumpectomy,

Lumpectomy is surgery to remove a tumor in the breast. The cut (incision) is made close to the tumor. Common places include on the breast, beneath the breast, and near the areola.

Mastectomy

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slide 2 of 8, Mastectomy,

Mastectomy is surgery to remove the whole breast, including nipple, areola, and skin. The cut (incision) to remove the breast tissue can be made in several ways.

Nipple-sparing mastectomy with inframammary cut

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slide 3 of 8, Nipple-sparing mastectomy with inframammary cut,

Nipple-sparing mastectomy removes the whole breast but leaves the skin, areola, and nipple. With this incision, the cut is made in the crease under the breast (inframammary).

Nipple-sparing mastectomy with lateral cut

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slide 4 of 8, Nipple-sparing mastectomy with lateral cut,

Nipple-sparing mastectomy removes the whole breast but leaves the skin, areola, and nipple. With this incision, the cut is made from the areola along the side of the breast toward the armpit.

Nipple-sparing mastectomy with periareolar cut

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slide 5 of 8, Nipple-sparing mastectomy with periareolar cut,

Nipple-sparing mastectomy removes the whole breast but leaves the skin, areola, and nipple. With this incision, the cut is made around the top of the areola (periareolar) and along the side of the breast toward the armpit.

Skin-sparing mastectomy with periareolar cut

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slide 6 of 8, Skin-sparing mastectomy with periareolar cut,

Skin-sparing mastectomy removes the whole breast, areola, and the nipple, but it keeps the skin that covers the breast. With this incision, the cut is made all around the areola (periareolar).

Skin-sparing mastectomy with teardrop cut

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slide 7 of 8, Skin-sparing mastectomy with teardrop cut,

Skin-sparing mastectomy removes the whole breast, areola, and the nipple, but it keeps the skin that covers the breast. With this incision, the cut is made around the areola in a teardrop shape.

Skin-sparing mastectomy with tennis-racquet cut

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slide 8 of 8, Skin-sparing mastectomy with tennis-racquet cut,

Skin-sparing mastectomy removes the whole breast, areola, and the nipple, but it keeps the skin that covers the breast. With this incision, a cut shaped like a tennis racquet is made around the areola and along the side of the breast toward the armpit.

What can you expect after surgery?

How long you will need to recover depends on the type of surgery you have. It also depends on whether you will need any more treatment.

If you have a lumpectomy, you will probably look the same if you wear a bra. But your breasts may not match in size or shape after surgery. This depends on the size of your breasts and how much tissue is removed.

If you are having a mastectomy or will have a lot of your breast tissue removed in a lumpectomy, you may want to think about breast reconstruction. This is surgery to create a new breast. It may be done at the same time as your breast surgery. Or you may plan to have it done later. Some people choose not to do reconstruction at all. You choose what feels right for you.

No matter what kind of surgery you have, you will get information about your treatment. You will learn how to prepare, what to expect, and what to do afterward.