If you’ve been diagnosed with  breast cancer, your treatment may include breast surgery. 

The goal of breast surgery is to remove the entire tumor — along with a small amount of healthy tissue surrounding the tumor, called margins — to make sure all the cancer cells are gone.

Types of breast surgery

Tanner Cancer Care offers several types of breast cancer surgery, including lumpectomy, mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

The surgery that’s best for you depends on:

• The type of cancer you have
• Whether your tumor is localized to your breast
• Whether your cancer has returned after treatment

In some cases, your doctor will recommend surgery along with chemotherapy  or radiation therapy for the best possible outcome. 

Lumpectomy

When your tumor is small and localized, your surgeon may just remove the tumor and a small portion of surrounding tissue, leaving the rest of the breast intact. This procedure is also called breast-conserving surgery or a partial mastectomy.

Mastectomy

If you have a more advanced or high-risk cancer, it may make more sense to remove your entire breast to ensure the tumor is completely gone and reduce the risk of your cancer returning. Some women with genetic risk factors choose to have both breasts removed (double mastectomy) to prevent cancer from developing in the other breast.

Reconstructive surgery

You may choose to have your breasts surgically reconstructed following a mastectomy to restore their normal shape and appearance. Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of reconstructive breast surgery, and whether it makes sense for your situation and circumstances to consider reconstructive  breast surgery using implants or tissue from another part of your body (flap reconstruction). Remember, reconstructive breast surgery is a covered benefit under any insurance plan that covers breast cancer treatment.