Breast Conservation Surgery

Woman’s works hard to treat our patients’ breast cancer with as little loss of tissue and natural appearance as possible.

Depending on the size and stage of the breast cancer, among other factors, the majority of our patients choose to have breast conservation, or breast-sparing, surgery.

This procedure is designed to remove the cancer and some breast tissue surrounding the mass, but leave as much breast tissue intact as possible. Doctors may also remove lymph nodes from under the arm to test whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

According to studies from the National Cancer Institute, breast conservation surgery and radiation therapy have an equal success rate as some more invasive surgeries, such as a simple or modified radical mastectomy for Stage I and Stage II breast cancer. 

Because of the equal success rates, more women are choosing the more conservative surgery options such as:

• Lumpectomy
• Partial mastectomy

Most women receive radiation therapy to destroy any cancer cells that may remain in the breast following breast conservation surgery.

What to Expect

Breast conservation surgeries are generally performed as outpatient surgeries, meaning the woman will be back at home the same day of the procedure. Woman’s encourages women who have lumpectomies or partial mastectomies to return to their normal, everyday lives as soon as possible, and most patients follow their pre-surgery routine one to two days following the procedure.

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