2020 PPP magazine

2020 Paint the Paper Pink Lincoln Daily News October 2020 Page 41 Surgery for Breast Cancer M ost women with breast cancer have some type of surgery as part of their treatment. There are different types of breast surgery, and it may be done for different reasons, depending on the situation. For example, surgery may be done to: Remove as much of the cancer as possible (breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy) Find out whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm (sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary lymph node dissection) Restore the breast’s shape after the cancer is removed (breast reconstruction) Relieve symptoms of advanced cancer Your doctor may recommend a certain operation based on your breast cancer features and your medical history, or you may have a choice about which type to have. It’s important to know your options so you can talk about them with your doctor and make the choice that is right for you. Surgery to remove breast cancer There are two main types of surgery to remove breast cancer: Breast-conserving surgery (also called a lumpectomy, quadrantectomy, partial mastectomy, or segmental mastectomy) is a CONTINUE