Types of Mastectomy to Treat Breast Cancer
Types of Mastectomy to Treat Breast Cancer
The surgery is followed by radiation therapy to the remaining breast tissue. With radiation therapy, powerful X-rays target the breast tissue. The radiation kills cancer cells and prevents them from spreading, or reoccurring.
There are two kinds:
In some cases, more surgery is required after a partial mastectomy. Sometimes, if cancer cells are still in breast tissue, it may be necessary to remove the entire breast.
A radical mastectomy is the complete removal of the breast, including the nipple. The surgeon also removes the overlying skin, the muscles beneath the breast, and the lymph nodes. Because radical mastectomy isn't more effective than other less extreme forms of mastectomy, it's rarely performed today. It’s only recommended when the cancer has spread to the chest muscle.
A less traumatic and more widely used procedure is the modified radical mastectomy (MRM). With the modified radical mastectomy, the entire breast is removed as well as the underarm lymph nodes. But chest muscles are left intact. The skin covering the chest wall may or may not be left intact. The procedure may be followed with breast reconstruction.
Types of Mastectomy to Treat Breast Cancer
In this article
- What Is a Total Mastectomy?
- What Is a Preventive Mastectomy?
- What Is a Partial Mastectomy?
- What Is a Radical Mastectomy?
- What Is a Modified Radical Mastectomy?
What Is a Partial Mastectomy? continued...
The surgery is followed by radiation therapy to the remaining breast tissue. With radiation therapy, powerful X-rays target the breast tissue. The radiation kills cancer cells and prevents them from spreading, or reoccurring.
There are two kinds:
- A lumpectomyremoves the tumor and a small cancer-free area of tissue surrounding the tumor.
- A quadrantectomy removes the tumor and more of the breast tissue than a lumpectomy.
In some cases, more surgery is required after a partial mastectomy. Sometimes, if cancer cells are still in breast tissue, it may be necessary to remove the entire breast.
What Is a Radical Mastectomy?
A radical mastectomy is the complete removal of the breast, including the nipple. The surgeon also removes the overlying skin, the muscles beneath the breast, and the lymph nodes. Because radical mastectomy isn't more effective than other less extreme forms of mastectomy, it's rarely performed today. It’s only recommended when the cancer has spread to the chest muscle.
What Is a Modified Radical Mastectomy?
A less traumatic and more widely used procedure is the modified radical mastectomy (MRM). With the modified radical mastectomy, the entire breast is removed as well as the underarm lymph nodes. But chest muscles are left intact. The skin covering the chest wall may or may not be left intact. The procedure may be followed with breast reconstruction.
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