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Lumpectomy vs Mastectomy: Which Breast Cancer Surgery Is Right for You?
By Raveena M Prakash
Being diagnosed with breast cancer often comes with a ton of questions, one of the common and confusing questions of many patients is whether to choose lumpectomy over mastectomy. While both of these breast cancer surgeries are performed to remove cancer, they might differ in their treatment approaches, recovery, treatment outcomes and risks. However, the decision of choosing one of the surgeries for the cure of cancer is totally personal and influenced by factors such as type of cancer and its stage.
In this article, we’ll discover more about breast cancer surgeries, when lumpectomy is recommended, when mastectomy is advised in patients and much more!
What are breast cancer surgeries?
Cancer surgeries are one of the main treatment options used to treat cancer in the breasts. In some cases, cancer surgery is considered an effective way to remove the cancer. An oncologist always recommends surgeries to remove the cancer cells either before or after performing other types of treatments.
Breast cancer surgery involves the removal of an individual tumor from your breast. However, in some patients, it is necessary to remove the entire breast to remove the cancer to avoid the chance of cancer recurrence. The surgeries are generally used for diagnostic or cosmetic purposes. The patients are often required to perform reconstructive surgery to rebuild the breast after the cancer treatments.
What are the different types of breast cancer surgery?
The surgical procedures for cancer removal in breasts may include:
- Lumpectomy: This type of surgical procedure is used to remove an individual tumor, also known as a ‘lump,’ from the breast. Additionally, it also removes a margin of healthy tissue around it. Lumpectomy is a highly recommended surgery while treating breast cancer in its early stages.
- Mastectomy: This is another type of cancer surgery that removes one or two of all breasts. There are some types of mastectomies that help to remove other affected tissue in that area, including chest muscles and other structures of the chest wall.
Additional surgeries, including:
- Sentinel node biopsy: This is a type of surgical procedure that helps to remove one or a few lymph nodes that are next to the affected breast for testing to determine whether the cancer has spread or not.
- Lymphadenectomy: This surgical procedure helps to remove and dissect most of your underarm nodes, which are next to the affected breast area, to determine whether the cancer has spread to lymph nodes.
- Breast reconstruction: This surgery helps to restore the breast shape of the patients after the cancer removal. The doctor might use breast implants, patient tissue, or sometimes both.
When is lumpectomy recommended?
Lumpectomy is usually performed in patients when the tumor is small in size and localized in the breasts. In this surgical procedure, only one portion of tissue is removed from the breasts. During the procedure, the surgeon also removes the cancer and some of the healthy tissues around it. After the surgery, radiation therapy is performed and the majority of patients prefer to undergo reconstructive surgery.
Risks and complications
Lumpectomy is the surgical procedure that carries some risks and complications and side effects, including:
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Pain
- Temporary swelling
- Scar on the skin of the breasts
- Changes in the shape and appearance of the breasts
When is mastectomy advised in patients?
Mastectomy is performed when the tumor is large and the tumor involves more than one area of the breasts. This surgery removes all breast tissue from the breast. It's mostly performed to treat or prevent the risk of developing cancer in the breasts. Mastectomy also removes breast skin and nipple, while some procedures might leave the nipple or the skin. After mastectomy, many patients choose to undergo reconstructive surgery and restore the shape of the breast.
Mastectomy for cancer treatment
Mastectomy is a primary treatment option for many types of cancer in breasts.
Including:
- Ductal carcinoma in situ,( is also commonly called noninvasive cancer or DCIS).
- Stage 1 and 2 breast cancer (also called early-stage cancer)
- Locally recurrent breast cancer, (cancer that comes back after treatment)
- Paget’s disease
While, in some cases, the mastectomy performed after the chemotherapy, such as:
- Stage 3 breast cancer,(also called locally advanced cancer)
- Inflammatory breast cancer
An oncologist often recommends mastectomy instead of lumpectomy with radiation during these circumstances.
Including:
- When the patients have two or more areas of cancer in separate parts of the breast.
- Patients have widespread calcium deposits also called microcalcifications throughout the breasts
- The patient is pregnant
- The DNA shows the risks of having a second cancer in the breasts
- Patients have large area of cancer when compared to the overall size of the breasts
- Patients have connective tissue disease such as scleroderma or lupus
What is breast reconstruction surgery?
Breast reconstruction surgery is generally performed to reconstruct the breasts right after the mastectomy or lumpectomy. There are many types of surgeries used to reconstruct breasts in patients, including silicone or saline breast implants.
Breast reconstruction can happen immediately after the cancer surgery. In some cases, it can happen months or years after the surgery, also known as delayed reconstruction. Patients need to reconstruct both breasts.
Consult Today
Lumpectomy and mastectomy are two of the major cancer surgeries used for the treatment of breast cancer. Whether these two cancer surgeries are performed for the patient can only be decided by the oncologist. While considering the medical condition of the patient, along with their type and stage of cancer. Additionally, it also aligns with the emotional readiness of the cancer patients.
At Oncare, we offer high-quality cancer treatments at affordable price packages with an experienced cancer specialist consultation.
If you or any loved ones of yours are diagnosed with cancer, then visit Oncare Cancer Center and book an appointment with our cancer specialist now! Get an estimated cost of cancer treatments today!
Frequently Asked Questions
There are different types of breast cancer surgeries, these may include:
- Lumpectomy: This is a type of breast cancer surgery that helps to remove an individual tumor from your breast, with a margin of healthy tissue around the cells.
- Mastectomy: Mastectomy is another type of breast cancer surgery that removes one or two of the breasts. Sometimes, performing a mastectomy can also remove other tissues affected in the area.
Here are some of the possible side effects of breast cancer surgery, including:
- Blood clots
- Seroma
- Hematoma
- Wound infection
Performing a mastectomy helps to reduce the risk of recurrence of cancer. It might slow down the chance of cancer coming back and provides a sense of peace and calmness in many breast cancer patients.
When breast cancer patients experience a cancer recurrence after the lumpectomy, then you may need to undergo another surgery. People who require lumpectomies also need to get radiation therapy; these may cause side effects in patients.