Type of Surgery
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Last updated: 11/24/2009
Routine preoperative preparations, such as having nothing to eat or drink the night before surgery, are typically ordered for a lumpectomy. Information about expected outcomes and potential complications is also part of preparation for lumpectomy,...
as it is for any surgical procedure. It is especially important that women know about sensations they might experience after the operation, so the they are not misinterpreted as signs of further cancer or poor healing.
If the tumor is not able to be felt (not palpable), a pre-operative localization procedure is needed. A fine wire, or other device, is placed at the tumor site, using x ray or ultrasound for guidance. This is usually done in the radiology department of a hospital. The woman is most often sitting up and awake, although some sedation may be administered.
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During a lumpectomy, a small incision is made around the area of the lump (A). The skin is pulled back, and the tumor removed (B). The incision is closed (C). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)
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Lumpectomy is a common surgical procedure designed to remove a discrete lump, usually a tumor, benign or otherwise, from an affected man or woman's breast. As the tissue removed is generally quite limited and the procedure relatively non-invasive, compared to a mastectomy, a lumpectomy is considered a viable means of "breast conservation" or "breast preservation" surgery with all the attendant physical and emotional advantages of such an approach.
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