Breast-conserving surgeries

The most common form of breast-conserving surgery, lumpectomy, removes just the cancerous lump and a surrounding area of normal tissue. If women choose lumpectomy, generally they are signing up for a two-stage treatment plan: surgery to remove the cancer and evaluate the axillary lymph nodes (located in the underarm area) followed by radiation. A lumpectomy without radiation is not typically recommended because the risk of local recurrence is thought to be too high. Increasingly, however, in cases involving a small, discrete lesion of DCIS, some surgeons say women can forgo radiation therapy because the risk of lingering cells becoming invasive is so low. The primary advantage of lumpectomy is that most of breast is preserved, including the areola and nipple region.

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A less commonly performed procedure, segmental or partial mastectomy, removes more breast tissue. This procedure excises the tumor as well as surrounding breast tissue and the lining of chest muscles underneath. Lymph nodes may also be taken from the underarm. Radiation therapy generally follows this procedure, too.