Lumpectomy

Breast-conserving lumpectomy with oncoplastic techniques—removing cancer while preserving breast shape.

What Is A Lumpectomy?

A lumpectomy (also called partial mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery) is a surgery to remove a mass of abnormal breast tissue. It’s often an alternative to mastectomy, which removes the entire breast.

Studies show that survival rates are similar for women who have a lumpectomy plus radiation therapy to those who have a mastectomy. The main benefit of lumpectomy compared with mastectomy is that it helps maintain the look and feel of your natural breast.

Making decisions about breast cancer surgery can be challenging. It’s important to have an experienced team to guide you. Texas Breast Specialists is a leading provider of breast surgery in the state. Our surgeons help you decide the right treatment for you. If that’s a lumpectomy, you receive expert surgical care to remove cancer while giving you the best possible result.

A lumpectomy combined with radiation therapy is a common treatment for breast cancer. Less often, lumpectomy is a diagnostic procedure used to determine if a breast lump is cancer.

Doctors also perform lumpectomies to remove noncancerous lumps, such as fibroadenomas. Learn more about benign breast conditions.

Lumpectomy is typically an option for early-stage breast tumors that are:

Small compared to the overall size of your breast
In an easily accessible location
Limited to one location

Other factors may also affect your eligibility for lumpectomy, including:

Cancer type (lumpectomy is not an option for inflammatory breast cancer)
Inability to receive radiation therapy due to pregnancy, previous breast radiation, and certain medical conditions
Risk of a second breast cancer due to family history

If a tumor is large in relation to your breast size, you may still be eligible for lumpectomy. Our medical oncologists may be able to deliver chemotherapy to shrink breast tumors to give you that option.

Our surgeons work to make lumpectomy as safe as possible and to minimize the potential risks. Some of the risks include:

Additional surgery
Lumpectomy may not remove all the cancer, and you may need another surgery, or a mastectomy, to remove more tissue.

Other treatments
You will likely need radiation therapy after lumpectomy. Some people also need hormone therapy or chemotherapy. These additional therapies carry their own risks.

Recurrence
Cancer may return in the same breast after lumpectomy. This risk is very low, but slightly higher than with a mastectomy.

Possible side effects of lumpectomy and radiation therapy include:

Change in the size and shape of the breast
Chronic pain in the breast, chest, armpit, or arm
Lymphedema, if lymph nodes were also removed
Scar or dimple at the incision site
Skin irritation and thickening due to radiation therapy
Swelling of the breast

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We offer oncoplastic procedures to reshape one or both breasts after lumpectomy. Your options depend on the tumor location and amount of tissue to be removed.

The two types of oncoplastic procedures we offer are:

Level I: Texas Breast Specialists breast surgeons use plastic surgery techniques during lumpectomy surgery to reconstruct the breast. The surgeon may rearrange tissue to fill the hole left behind or take steps to reduce the appearance of scars.
Level II: These procedures are for women with larger breasts who want a reduction and lift. The surgeon removes tissue and skin to provide a smaller, lifted appearance on both sides. Many Texas Breast Specialists breast surgeons perform this procedure during lumpectomy surgery. We also partner with breast reconstruction surgeons, who provide reduction and lift after lumpectomy.

During surgical planning, we take steps to ensure we meet your goals for the appearance of your breasts. If you need to meet with a breast reconstruction surgeon, we arrange that before lumpectomy surgery.

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There are many factors to consider when deciding between a lumpectomy and mastectomy. Our surgeons discuss all your options with you and weigh the risks and benefits. They take time to answer your questions so you can make the right choice for you.

What to Expect with a Lumpectomy

Knowing what to expect can take some of the fear out of having surgery. Our team educates you about all aspects of your procedure, so you are fully prepared.

Your doctor will give you instructions for fasting before surgery and when to take medications. Usually, lumpectomy is an outpatient procedure, and you can go home that day. You will need to arrange for someone to drive you home.

Prior to the day of surgery, you may have a short procedure to implant a small, reflective device next to the tumor. A radiologist performs this procedure using image guidance, numbing the area so you don’t feel pain. The implanted device ensures the surgeon can locate the tumor during surgery.

We perform lumpectomy under general anesthesia, meaning you will be asleep during the procedure. General steps of the procedure include:

Location of the tumor by hand or using the reflective device
Incision to reach the tumor
Removal to take out the tumor and a margin of healthy tissue around it
Oncoplastic procedure, if needed, to fill in the area left by removing the tumor or to reduce and lift both breasts
Incision closure

Recovery from lumpectomy takes time. You can usually resume regular activities within a few weeks. Your team will provide instructions on how to care for the incisions, what to expect, and when to call us. You will also have an appointment for a follow-up visit.

The tissue sample will be sent to a laboratory for analysis. A pathologist examines the sample under a microscope to ensure the margins are free of cancer cells. They may also perform other tests to help us learn more about the tumor and guide follow-up treatment.

If you need radiation therapy, your care team will set up a timeline. If your risk of recurrence is low, such as with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), you may not need radiation therapy.

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FAQs

How long does a lumpectomy take?

Lumpectomy surgery usually takes a few hours. Your breast surgeon will work carefully to completely remove the tumor and perform needed procedures to give you the best results.

Will I have lymph nodes removed during lumpectomy?

The surgeon may remove one or more lymph nodes during lumpectomy surgery to determine if cancer has spread. There are two types of procedures to remove lymph nodes:

Sentinel lymph node biopsy
This procedure involves removing a few lymph nodes under the arm where cancer is most likely to spread.

Axillary lymph node dissection
In this procedure, the surgeon takes out many lymph nodes. We usually perform axillary lymph node dissection if you have swollen lymph nodes or if a previous biopsy detected cancer cells.

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Lumpectomy

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Before

During

After

FAQs

How long does a lumpectomy take?

Will I have lymph nodes removed during lumpectomy?

What Is A Lumpectomy?

Conditions treated by lumpectomy

When is lumpectomy recommended for breast cancer?

Risks of lumpectomy

Options to improve breast appearance after lumpectomy

Choosing between a lumpectomy and mastectomy

Before

During

After

FAQs

How long does a lumpectomy take?

Will I have lymph nodes removed during lumpectomy?

Clinical Trials

Clinical Trials