ADAM Health Encyclopedia

Breast lump removal

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.

Risks

Risks for any surgery are:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Reactions to medications

Risks for this procedure are:

• Since a lumpectomy removes part of the breast, the appearance of your breast may change. After surgery, you may notice dimpling, a scar, or a difference in shape between the two breasts.
• Some microscopic pieces of the lump may be left behind after surgery. If this happens, they will need to be removed in another operation.
• You may also have numbness in the breast area.