Tag Archives: Lumpectomy

Should You Get a Lumpectomy or Mastectomy?

So your recent diagnosis of breast cancer has left you confused. And, for good reason. No one expects to be diagnosed with breast cancer. After your diagnosis, it will seem like there are so many decisions to be made, with so little time. Most of them may not even make sense to you. As physicians, its our job to help provide some clarity when it comes to breast cancer treatment. Depending on how advanced your breast cancer is (what we in the medical field call Continue reading →

Repeat Surgery After Lumpectomy For Breast Cancer May Not Be Needed

There was an article recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association which showed that almost 25% of lumpectomies for breast cancer are followed by re-excision surgery, although this varies widely across surgeons and centers. What’s more alarming is that half of these re-excisions were in patients with negative margins, or in plain terms, patient’s whose cancers were already fully removed during the first surgery! There has always been debate about an acceptable width of tumor free margins. Recent literature suggests that as long Continue reading →

Choosing Between Lumpectomy and Mastectomy

Many women with early-stage breast cancers have the option of choosing between a breast-conserving surgery such as a lumpectomy or a mastectomy which removes the entire breast tissue. The main advantage of a lumpectomy is that it allows a woman to keep most of her breast. A disadvantage is the usual need for radiation therapy — most often for 5 to 6 weeks — after surgery. A (very) small number of women having breast-conserving surgery may not need radiation, while a small percentage of women who undergo mastectomy will still Continue reading →