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Details of Lumpectomy Surgery  

What is involved with a lumpectomy surgery? How long will it take?

The actual surgery will only take between 15 and 40 minutes. Your surgeon will make an incision in the breast and remove the tumor, along with a rim of healthy tissue around it. Often, the surgeon will use an electric scalpel, also called an electocautery knife, to help minimize bleeding. Most surgeons make a curved incision along the natural curve of the breast. This minimizes the appearance of the scar and helps the healing process. Be sure to discuss the type of incision with your surgeon before the surgery.

After the tumor and some surrounding tissue have been removed, your surgeon may or may not insert a drain to help collect any excess fluid that may accumulate in the space where the tumor had been. These drains usually consist of a plastic tube and are connected to a suction bottle. The tube runs from under the incision to a bottle outside of your body. These bottles will need to be emptied on a regular basis, and the area where the tube enters the incision will need to be cleaned and redressed regularly.

After the drain is put in place (if necessary), the incision will be stitched closed and dressed with a bandage. You then will be moved to the recovery room.

At most facilities, lumpectomy and other breast-conserving treatments are done on an outpatient basis. Most patients having a lumpectomy, with or without a sentinel node biopsy procedure, can resume their normal activities approximately one week after surgery.


Questions Related to Details of Lumpectomy Surgery
If my cancer does recur, how will I be treated?
I’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer. What should I do, including deciding on treatment?
Should I get a second opinion from another doctor about my breast cancer?
What are the treatment options for breast cancer?
What things should I consider when deciding on a type of treatment for my breast cancer?
What does a cancer’s histological grade have to do with selecting a type of treatment?
What treatments are usually associated with the different stages of breast cancer?
What is a bone scan? Why do I need one?
What is the difference between breast cancer and recurrent breast cancer? How do the treatments differ?
What are breast-conserving surgeries?
Why do I need so many doctors involved in my treatment for breast cancer? What do all the doctors do?
What is the difference between local and systemic treatment of breast cancer?
How is hypercalcemia treated?
What is the difference between a lumpectomy and a mastectomy?
When would I choose a mastectomy over a lumpectomy?
When is radiation added after a mastectomy?
What is a lumpectomy?
What is a partial mastectomy?
What is a radical mastectomy?
What is a modified radical mastectomy?
What is a total mastectomy?
What is a segmental mastectomy?
What is a skin-sparing mastectomy?
What is involved with a mastectomy surgery? How long will it take to recover?
What is radiation therapy?
When is radiation therapy appropriate for breast cancer?
When is radiation therapy not an option for breast cancer?
Does the procedure for external radiation therapy hurt?
Will external radiation therapy make me radioactive?
Does radiation therapy increase my risk of my breast cancer recurring?
Does radiation therapy increase my risk of developing cancer in my other breast?
Who is a dosimetrist?
What happens during your radiation setup?
What happens during the actual treatments with external radiation?
What is brachytherapy?
How long will my external radiation therapy take?
What is a boost dose of radiation?
What is intraoperative radiation therapy?
What is hyperfractionated radiation therapy?
What is radiosurgery ablation?
Can I take vitamins during radiation treatment?
What is chemotherapy? How does it work? How is the treatment taken?
What are SERMs? How do they work?
What are aromatase inhibitors? How do they work?
What is tamoxifen? How does it work?
What is Arimidex?
What is Taxol?
What are the different classes of chemotherapy (chemo) drugs used to treat breast cancer?
What are adjuncts?
What is bone marrow transplantation?

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