Breast lump removal Health Article

Definition

Breast lump removal is surgery to remove a lump in the breast and some surrounding tissue from the breast.

Alternative Names

Lumpectomy; Wide local excision; Excisional biopsy; Limited breast surgery; Segmental mastectomy: Breast conservation therapy or surgery; Tylectomy; Breast sparing surgery; Partial mastectomy; Segmental breast excision

Description

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.

Your doctor will send the lump to a laboratory for testing.

If you have a lump with breast cancer in it, your surgeon will also remove lymph nodes in your axilla (armpit). This will be done through another surgical cut underneath your arm. The lymph nodes will also be tested for cancer. This is called staging. Staging helps your doctor plan your treatment.

Why the Procedure Is Performed

Lumpectomy is performed to either diagnose or treat an abnormal spot in the breast. Before a lumpectomy, your doctor will have done a needle biopsy and imaging tests (such as mammography) to see if you have breast cancer.

If a needle biopsy showed that you have breast cancer, your doctor will have you take more tests to see if the cancer has spread.

• Treatment depends on the type of breast cancer, if the cancer has spread, and to where, your age, whether you have reached menopause, and your overall health.
• For some breast cancer, mastectomy may be better treatment. For other breast cancer, lumpectomy (breast conservation therapy) may treat your cancer. Your doctor will help you decide what treatment is best for you.

Other reasons to perform a lumpectomy are:

• If you have fibroadenoma or other benign tumors of the breast.
• If you have a fluid-filled lump (cyst). Your doctor will first use a needle and syringe to drain fluid from the cyst. If the fluid is clear or green, is not bloody, and the cyst disappears when drained, nothing further needs to be done. If the fluid is bloody, your doctor will send it to a laboratory for testing. If you still have a lump after your doctor drains the cyst, you will need surgery to remove it. You will also need surgery if the cyst disappears after it is drained but then later returns.