Breast surgery
There are different types of breast surgery for DCIS. Most women with DCIS are treated with breast conserving surgery and radiotherapy. Another type of surgery that might be recommended is mastectomy. Sometimes, the surgical biopsy to diagnose DCIS is the only surgery needed because all the DCIS is removed by the biopsy.
The type of surgery your doctor recommends will depend on a number of things, including the size of the DCIS in relation to the size of your breast, the grade of your DCIS, your age and whether you have a family history of breast cancer. The risk that DCIS will come back or invasive breast cancer will develop is low following both types of surgery but is lowest for women who have a mastectomy. Your doctor will discuss the benefits and risks of each type of surgery with you. The final decision will also be affected by any preference you have.
Breast conserving surgery
Your doctor will usually recommend breast conserving surgery if the area of DCIS is small compared to the size of your breast. The DCIS with a surrounding area of healthy tissue is removed. The surgery will usually be done under general anaesthetic, although a local anaesthetic might be possible in some cases.
If you have breast conserving surgery you will be able to keep your breast, although it will not look the same as it did before. You will usually not need to wear a breast prosthesis or have a breast reconstruction. It is likely that you will have radiotherapy to the treated breast once your wound has healed.
What can I expect after breast conserving surgery?
Every woman’s situation is different so it’s not possible to say exactly what will happen after breast conserving surgery. Discuss this with your surgeon before your operation. You might also find it helpful speak to other women who have had breast conserving surgery. Some of the things that might happen are listed below.
Usually after breast conserving surgery
- You will have a dressing (bandage) over the surgery site.
- You will have a scar on your breast. The position of the scar will depend on where the DCIS is in your breast and how much breast tissue is removed. The scar will become less noticeable with time.
- Your breast shape and size might change, depending on where the DCIS is in your breast and how much breast tissue is removed.
- You will feel some pain or discomfort in your breast while the wound is healing – this usually settles in a few weeks.
Often after breast conserving surgery
- You will have a drainage tube in your breast, which will be removed a day or two after surgery. A drainage tube is used to drain any fluid that might collect in or around your scar (a seroma).
Sometimes after breast conserving surgery
- You might have swelling, firmness and bruising around the wound in your breast. This usually settles in a few weeks. You might be given a compression dressing, called a binder, to help reduce bruising and swelling.
- You might have a numb area in your breast.
Uncommonly after breast conserving surgery
- Your wound might bleed or become infected.
- Your wound might take a long time to heal.
Will I need more surgery?
If there are abnormal cells in the area of healthy tissue around the DCIS removed from your breast, your surgeon might be concerned that not all the DCIS has been removed. In this situation, you will probably need to have more surgery to remove more breast tissue. Sometimes a mastectomy is recommended.
