Mastectomy is the complete removal of the breast tissue. It is resorted to when breast-conserving surgery is not suitable. When there is axillary lymph node involvement in the patient, it is performed as a modified radical mastectomy, that is, the removal of the entire breast and a large part of the axillary lymph nodes. It is the classical surgical treatment method of breast cancer. It provides good local control; the risk of the tumor recurring is low.
Who is it applied to?
In the past it was widely used, and today mastectomy is preferred for patients with large tumors for which breast-conserving surgery is not suitable and/or tumors that are widely distributed in the breast (multifocal tumors).
In some patients who have breast cancer in their family, in first-degree relatives, if the breast cancer carries a hereditary character, a mastectomy can also be performed on the disease-free breast for risk-reducing and protective purposes. In early-stage tumors, or in tumors located far from the nipple, these operations can also be performed as a skin-sparing or “nipple-sparing mastectomy”. In addition, in these operations, simultaneous reconstructive procedures for cosmetic purposes can be applied in cooperation with a plastic surgeon. During the operation in which the nipple is preserved, a single dose of radiotherapy (intraoperative radiotherapy) can also be given to the patient’s nipple while under anesthesia on the operating table.
