About mastectomy

What is mastectomy?

A mastectomy is surgery to remove all breast tissue from a breast as a way to treat or prevent breast cancer.

For those with early-stage breast cancer, a mastectomy may be one treatment option. Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy), in which only the tumor is removed from the breast, may be another option.

Deciding between a mastectomy and lumpectomy can be difficult. Both procedures are equally effective for preventing a recurrence of breast cancer. But a lumpectomy isn't an option for everyone with breast cancer, and others prefer to undergo a mastectomy.

Newer mastectomy techniques can preserve breast skin and allow for a more natural breast appearance following the procedure. This is also known as skin-sparing mastectomy.

Surgery to restore shape to your breast — called breast reconstruction — may be done at the same time as your mastectomy or during a second operation at a later date

What are the risk factors for mastectomy?

Risks of a mastectomy include:

  • Bleeding
  • Infection
  • Pain
  • Swelling (lymphedema) in your arm if you have an axillary node dissection
  • Formation of hard scar tissue at the surgical site
  • Shoulder pain and stiffness
  • Numbness, particularly under your arm, from lymph node removal
  • Buildup of blood in the surgical site (hematoma)

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