Procedures
- Nipple-sparing mastectomy is a removal of all of the breast tissue, without removal of the skin, nipple, or dark skin around it called the areola.
- Lumpectomy, also known as breast-conserving surgery or wide local excision, is a surgery that removes cancer or other abnormal tissue from the breast where only a small portion of the breast is removed in contrast to a mastectomy.
- Simple mastectomy is a removal of the breast tissue, nipple, areola, and skin but not all the lymph nodes.
- Modified radical mastectomy is a complete removal of the entire breast, including the skin, areola, nipple, and most axillary lymph nodes.
- Sentinel lymph node biopsy is a procedure where the sentinel lymph node is identified, removed, and examined to identify whether cancer cells are present. Sentinel lymph nodes are the first lymph nodes where cancer cells are most likely to spread from a primary tumor.
- Axillary lymph node dissection is the removal of lymph nodes from the armpit.
- Hidden scar surgery is when the surgeon places the patient’s incision in a place that is hard to see, allowing the scar to not be visible when the incision heals. This can be performed for lumpectomy or nipple-sparing mastectomy.
- Core needle biopsy is a medical test to remove a piece of tissue from a lesion or mass.
- Punch biopsy is a diagnostic test in which a sharp cutting tool is used to remove a small, tube-shaped piece of skin and some other tissue. The tissue is then examined under a microscope.