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This treatment includes an operation to take out the cancer
and a margin of normal breast tissue around the cancer. Other
terms used for this operation are lumpectomy, wide excision,
partial mastectomy, the and segmental mastectomy. In a lumpectomy,
only a small amount of breast tissue round the lump is taken.
Some surgeons prefer to take a segment of the breast because
they feel there is more chance of understanding how much spread
has occurred and it often produces a neater result. The surgeon
may take up to 1/3 of the breast. Usually, most of the breast
will not be affected by the operation.
You will have a general anesthetic and will be in hospital
for between 1 and 5 days depending on your progress, the extent
of the surgery and whether you are in a private or public
hospital.
Breast conserving treatment usually also involves radiation
therapy, usually after surgery. Radiation therapy uses x-rays
to kill any cancer cells that may be in the remaining part
of the breast after the operation.
Key points
What will it look like?
Look at photos
of results of breast conserving treatment operations
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