Types of Breast Surgery

The two main types of surgery for breast cancer are breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy.

Breast-conserving surgery
Breast-conserving surgery involves removal of the tumor a rim of healthy tissue. It leaves most of the breast intact.

About Breast-Conserving Surgery »

Mastectomy
A mastectomy removes the entire breast. Different types of mastectomy are appropriate for certain cases. Your care team will discuss all the options with you to help you decide what’s right for you.

About Mastectomy »

Other surgery for breast cancer
You may need other types of surgery even if you don’t have a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. Depending on the type of breast cancer you have, you may need more than one of these surgeries:

A biopsy is a short procedure during which a doctor takes a small sample of cells from the breast. A pathologist examines the tissue sample under a microscope and determines whether the cells are normal or cancerous.

We use the least invasive biopsy procedure possible, minimizing discomfort while still obtaining enough cells to make a diagnosis.

We specialize in image-guided biopsy, which uses one of our imaging technologies to precisely locate the area where we need to take the tissue sample. We offer several types of breast biopsy, and you may need one or more types depending on your individual case.

Needle biopsy: The doctor inserts a needle into the breast to remove a tiny sample of cells from a suspicious area. There are 2 types:

• Fine-needle aspiration biopsy uses a very thin needle and syringe. You may or may not need a local anesthetic (numbing medicine) for this procedure.
• Core biopsy uses a wider needle to take the sample. Your doctor will give you a local anesthetic to numb your breast for the procedure. This is the biopsy procedure we use most often to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer.

Image-guided biopsy: Our radiologists often use imaging to precisely locate the abnormal tissue and guide the needle for the sample. Types of imaging for guided biopsy include:

• MRI-guided breast biopsy using radio waves and a magnetic field
• Ultrasound-guided biopsy using high-frequency sound waves
• Stereotactic-guided biopsy using mammography

Surgical biopsy: In rare situations, a surgeon may remove part of a tumor for testing, or all of it. The goal is to determine whether the tumor is benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).