Forsyth Medical Center 
Cancer Treatments
Breast Surgery
| Surgery is the most common treatment for breast cancer. |
Depending on the condition, one of several types of surgery may be used. Your physician will explain each type of surgery in detail, discuss and compare the benefits and risks and describe how each will affect the patient's appearance.
 |
|
 |
Do you have specific questions about breast cancer? Visit our Health Library for answers. |
|
|
Here is an overview of the types of Breast Surgery:
Lumpectomy
A surgeon removes the breast cancer and some normal tissue around it. Often, some of the lymph nodes under the arm are removed. It is usually followed by radiation therapy to destroy any cancer cells that may remain in the area.
Segmental Mastectomy
A surgeon removes the cancer and a larger area of normal breast tissue around it. Occasionally, some of the lining over the chest muscles below the tumor is removed as well. Some of the lymph nodes under the arm may also be removed. It is usually followed by radiation therapy to destroy any cancer cells that may remain in the area.
Total (Simple) Mastectomy
A surgeon removes the whole breast. Some of the lymph nodes under the arm may also be removed.
Modified Radical Mastectomy
A surgeon removes the whole breast, most of the lymph nodes under the arm, and often the lining over the chest muscles. The smaller of the two chest muscles is also taken out to help in removing the lymph nodes.
Radical Mastectomy
A surgeon removes the breast, the chest muscles, all of the lymph nodes under the arm and some additional fat and skin. For many years, this operation was considered standard for women with breast cancer, but it is very rarely used today and only in cases of advanced cancer in which the cancer has spread to the chest muscles.
Breast Reconstruction Surgery
An important but often overlooked facet of cancer care is the physical appearance or cosmetic concerns of the patient. At Presbyterian Cancer Center, plastic and reconstructive surgeons work together with our surgical oncologists to provide cancer patients with consultation and assessment before cancer surgery. Many times, the plastic surgeons perform their restorative procedures immediately following or at the same time as the cancer surgery.
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
A relatively new procedure, sentinel lymph node biopsy is a clinical research trial that is carefully performed at Presbyterian Hospital for some patients with breast cancer, melanoma (a form of skin cancer), and more rarely, other types of cancer. This procedure involves locating the few lymph nodes near the site of cancer that would receive lymph fluid drainage from the tumor itself. If any tumor cells have moved from the original area involved, those lymph nodes would most likely hold them. These lymph nodes are found using a radioactive tracer and blue dye.
