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Breast Cancer Surgery -
Mastectomy
Mastectomy means removal of the breast. As much of the breast as possible is taken although it is not possible to remove all breast tissue. This operation is usually done with some surgery to the glands in the armpit. This is standard practice for all patients to check if cancer cells are present in these glands.
Simple Mastectomy
This is the operation most commonly performed. The breast is removed with much of the overlying skin. It is then closed leaving a straight scar on the chest. Usually a drain is placed under the skin to remove any fluid and collected in a bottle.
This operation takes about one hour and you will be in hospital 2 to 5 days depending on the fluid drainage from the drain.
Other types of mastectomy
The main difference is in the amount of skin left behind.
For most patients the skin does not have to be removed to treat the cancer. The removal of breast tissue and hence effectiveness of treatment is the same. These mastectomies are called skin-sparing mastectomy and are used when immediate reconstruction is planned. This usually means leaving all the skin except the nipple, although some variations may be discussed with you if felt better for you.
It is usually better to remove the nipple as this contains breast tissue*.
The only type of mastectomy to leave the nipple is called a subcutaneous mastectomy. The breast tissue is removed but the nipple left alone. This is usually used for patients having prophylactic mastectomy (removal of a normal breast to reduce the risk of getting breast cancer because there is a very strong family tendency for the disease).
*It is sometimes possible to leave the nipple when treating a cancer with a mastectomy. This can be discussed if appropriate.
