SURGERY FOR THE BREAST
The decision about surgery depends on many factors. You and your doctor will determine the kind of surgery that is most appropriate for you. Surgery on the breast for cancer treatment usually involves either breast conserving surgery (sometimes called lumpectomy), which removes a lump in a margin of safety around the breast cancer, or in some cases mastectomy where all the breast tissue is removed.
Breast Conserving Surgery (lumpectomy) is usually undertaken as a day case. In our unit, we use oncoplastic techniques to maintain the cosmetic breast shape following the removal of a breast cancer. The majority of patients (over 70%) will be treated this way.
DOWNLOAD – Guide to Day Case Breast Surgery
Mastectomy is the removal of all of the breast tissue. Mastectomy is more refined and less intrusive than it used to be because in most cases, the muscles under the breast are no longer removed.
Who usually gets a mastectomy?
A mastectomy is appropriate for women with multiple or large areas of cancer or pre cancer cells (ductal carcinoma in situ), in whom breast conservation is not appropriate. Mastectomy may also be offered to women seeking risk reduction, that is, breast removal in order to decrease the possibility of breast cancer occurring.
DOWNLOAD – Guide to Mastectomy
Breast reconstruction can be done at the time of mastectomy (immediate reconstruction) or months or years later (delayed reconstruction) according to patient’s preference. Approximately 65% of our patients will have breast reconstruction surgery at the time of their surgery.
SURGERY FOR THE LYMPH NODE/AXILLA
If you have invasive breast cancer, your surgeon will probably remove some of the lymph nodes under your arm during your lumpectomy or mastectomy. Examining your lymph nodes helps your doctors figure out the extent of cancer involvement. Cancer in the lymph nodes is associated with an increased risk of having cancer cells in other parts of your body.
If the lymph gland look clear on the radiology or the biopsy is normal then these patients have a sentinel node biopsy. This involves limited surgery to remove between one and four lymph nodes from the axilla using special dye to help locate them. Approximately 70% of our patients undergo sentinel node biopsy.
If the pre-operative lymph node biopsy shows that breast cancer has spread into the lymph glands, axillary lymph node clearance can take place. Approximately 20% of our patients undergo axillary clearance.
You can learn more about possible side effects of lymph node removal such as Arm Lymphedema.
DOWNLOAD – Guide To Recovery Following Breast Surgery
SURGERY FOR BREAST RECONSTRUCTION (Immediate or Delayed)
Breast Reconstruction is the rebuilding of the breast after mastectomy and sometimes lumpectomy. Reconstruction can take place at the same time as cancer-removing surgery, or months to years later. Some women decide not to have reconstruction and opt for a prosthesis fitted into the bra instead.
DOWNLOAD – Skin Sparing Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction