Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ, DCIS, have the option of surgery types like lumpectomy or other breast-sparing surgery, or complete mastectomy, and mastectomy with reconstruction.
Breast Surgery
Types of Breast Surgeries
There are several types of breast surgery, which include
Mastectomy
In this type of surgery, the whole breast that contains the cancer is removed. There are two main types of mastectomy, namely total mastectomy and modified radical mastectomy.
Total mastectomy
In this type of surgery, the surgeon removes the patient’s whole breast along with one or more of the lymph nodes under the arm, if required, using a procedure called sentinel lymph node biopsy.
Modified radical mastectomy
The surgeon removes the patient’s whole breast and most of the lymph nodes under the arm. This surgery is less used nowadays.
Lumpectomy or other breast-sparing surgery, followed by radiation therapy
In this type of surgery, the affected part of the breast is removed with some normal tissue around it, and maybe one or more lymph nodes from under the patient’s arm. This procedure preserves the breast but the patient is given radiation therapy later on.
Mastectomy with breast reconstruction surgery
Breast reconstruction surgery can be done at the same time of mastectomy, or anytime later. This is performed as a plastic surgery. The surgeon uses an implant or muscle tissue from another part of the patient’s body to create a breast-like shape that replaces what was removed. In the final stage of breast reconstruction, a nipple and areola may be re-created on the reconstructed breast, if these were not preserved during the mastectomy.