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Mastectomy
Category: General & Abdominal Surgery · All general & abdominal surgery
What it is
A mastectomy is an operation to remove all of the breast tissue on one or both sides. Variants include skin-sparing and nipple-sparing techniques, and it is often combined with removal of some lymph nodes from the armpit and, where chosen, immediate reconstruction.
Why it is done
It is a treatment for breast cancer when breast-conserving surgery is not suitable or is not the patient's preference, and is sometimes chosen preventively by people at very high inherited risk.
How to prepare
Planning involves imaging, biopsy results, discussion of reconstruction options, and anaesthetic assessment. You may have a small injection of tracer or dye on the day to locate the sentinel lymph node (the first node draining the breast). Fast before surgery.
What happens during the procedure
Under general anaesthetic, the breast tissue is removed and usually the sentinel node (and sometimes more nodes) is taken for testing. Reconstruction, if chosen, is done by the breast or plastic surgeon during the same operation or later. Surgery takes one to three hours depending on what is combined.
Afterwards — recovery & results
Hospital stay is usually one to two nights, sometimes with a drain for a few days. You will be taught arm and shoulder exercises to prevent stiffness. Recovery takes several weeks. Results of the removed tissue guide decisions about further treatment such as radiotherapy or medicines.
Risks & considerations
Risks include bleeding, fluid collection (seroma), infection, numbness of the chest and upper arm, shoulder stiffness, and lymphoedema (arm swelling) if many nodes are removed. Reconstruction adds its own considerations, which the team will explain.
Watch: Mastectomy videos
Real procedure videos from the MedicalVideos.com library. Some clinical footage is graphic — that is the nature of a medical video library.
Related guides on MedicalVideos.com
Frequently asked questions
Will I need radiotherapy after a mastectomy?
Sometimes — it depends on the size and type of cancer and whether lymph nodes are involved. Your team explains this once the pathology results are back.
What is a sentinel node biopsy?
It checks the first lymph node(s) the cancer would spread to. If they are clear, removing many more nodes is usually unnecessary, which reduces the risk of arm swelling.
Related procedures — General & Abdominal Surgery
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