This surgery removes cancer (or other abnormal tissue) from your breast. A small amount of healthy tissue is taken, too, but the rest of the breast tissue is spared. The goal of a lumpectomy is to leave you with as much natural breast tissue as possible. We also call it "breast-conserving" surgery.
Who has this surgery? It's used for early-stage breast cancer. That's cancer that hasn't yet spread. You may also have a lumpectomy if you have abnormal breast tissue that we want to examine for signs of cancer.
How is the surgery done? Most commonly, you're put to sleep. We make an incision in your breast. We remove the abnormal tissue and some of the healthy tissue around it. We'll study this tissue to learn more about it.
Because breast cancer often spreads from the breast to the nearby lymph nodes, we may also want to take out some of your lymph nodes during a lumpectomy. We do this through an incision under your arm. We'll check these for signs of cancer.
When the surgery is done, we close and bandage your skin. Follow your care plan for a safe recovery. Your doctor will follow up with you soon about your lab results.