When is mastectomy considered an option?
For some women, breast conserving surgery plus radiotherapy is not considered the best treatment option. Mastectomy is considered an option if:
- the area of cancer involved is large compared to the size of your breast
- the cancer is in more than one area of your breast
- you’ve had breast conserving surgery and the area of healthy-looking tissue (surgical margin) around the breast cancer is not considered ‘clear’
- the cancer has come back again in your breast and you had radiotherapy for your initial treatment – if radiotherapy has already been used to treat your breast, it can’t be used again to treat that same breast
- it is your preference
What does mastectomy involve?
Mastectomy usually involves:
- removal of the entire breast (usually including the nipple)
- removal of lymph nodes from the armpit – this is usually done through one mastectomy cut, so there are no separate scars under the arm
- some breast tissue is left on the chest after mastectomy. Radiotherapy to the chest is sometimes considered for women at high risk of the cancer coming back on the chest wall.
