Breast-Conserving Surgery

This procedure may be called a lumpectomy, wide excision, or partial/segmental mastectomy. Your surgeon will remove the tumor, with a small amount of tissue around the tumor. This leaves as much healthy breast tissue as possible. Your lumpectomy may be done as an oncoplastic surgery procedure. This combines breast tumor removal and plastic surgery to optimize the appearance of the breast. A sentinel lymph node biopsy may also be done to check for cancer spread (see Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy). You usually go home the same day. You will usually have radiation after the operation to kill any remaining cancer cells.

• You will have a biopsy. The biopsy tells the type and stage of your cancer. (See biopsy)
• During your biopsy, a marker or clip may be placed in your breast.
• Right before surgery, a thin wire or marker may be placed through your skin to the clip/tumor. This will help guide your surgeon exactly to the tumor. They are usually taken out during surgery.
• Your treatment may begin with chemotherapy or radiation first. This is called neoadjuvant therapy. It can help shrink the tumor before removing it with surgery. This decision is based on your cancer stage.

There may be:

• Numbness or change in sensation near the incision(s) biopsy or radiation area
• A change in shape and/or size of the breast
• A change in skin texture or color due to radiation
• Infection, bruising, seroma (fluid collection), or bleeding
• Lymphedema (swelling of the underarm and arm)
• Pain in the breast area

The recovery time may be up to 1 to 2 weeks.

Additional therapies may include:

• Endocrine or hormonal therapy,
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation

See Self-Care and Additional Therapies.

Cancer cells are sometimes found in the tissue around the tumor. If found, additional surgery may be necessary. These are also referred to as "positive margins."

The 10-year survival rates for women with early-stage breast cancer after a lumpectomy with radiation or mastectomy is about 80%.¹⁷