BREAST SURGERY:
Mastectomy is surgery to remove all breast tissue from a breast as a way to treat or prevent breast cancer. Many women with early-stage breast cancer can choose breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy), in which only the tumor is removed from the breast. Deciding between mastectomy and lumpectomy can be difficult. Both procedures are equally effective. But lumpectomy isn't an option for some women with breast cancer, and others prefer to undergo a mastectomy.
Breast lump removal is usually done in an outpatient clinic. You will be given general anesthesia (asleep, but pain free) or local anesthesia (awake, but sedated and pain free). The procedure takes about 1 to 2 hours.
The surgeon makes a small incision (cut) on your breast. The surgeon then removes some of the lump and breast tissue around it.
- If the lump is not breast cancer, your surgeon will not remove very much breast tissue from around the lump.
- If you have breast cancer, the amount of breast tissue around the lump the surgeon removes may depend on what type of breast cancer you have.
- The surgeon will close the skin with stitches. These may dissolve or need to be removed later. A drain tube may be placed to remove excess fluid.
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