Lumpectomy

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 Oncology 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. 

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. 

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.