Breast Surgery

If you have a breast disease or need to have a biopsy to confirm or rule out breast cancer, your physician may schedule one of the following procedures: 

• Needle aspiration. Cysts that can be drained by needle aspiration require no preparation or recovery time. They are usually done during an office visit.
• Surgery. If your physician believes you need surgery for a biopsy to rule out cancer or for removal of a breast tumor, you will be scheduled for a follow-up same-day procedure.

If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, your physician will schedule one of the following procedures:

• Lumpectomy, also called breast conserving surgery, removes the tumor and some normal surrounding tissue, keeping the breast intact. The tissue that is removed will be sent to pathology during surgery to ensure that all cancer cells have been removed. Sometimes, a second surgery is needed to remove additional tissue. Radiation is usually recommended after lumpectomy except in select cases.
• Mastectomy, also called a simple or total mastectomy, refers to removal of the entire breast. You may choose to have one or both breasts removed during this procedure, depending on your diagnosis, the size and location of the cancer cells and your risk of developing additional cancer. Removal of both breasts is called a bilateral or double mastectomy. When axillary lymph nodes under the arm are also removed, the procedure is called a modified radical mastectomy. Reconstruction surgery to rebuild the breast is done during the initial surgery and may require additional surgeries in the future. In some cases, your nipples can be preserved. Please talk to your surgeon about this option.