Lumpectomy surgery is usually an outpatient surgery (patients go home the same day). The procedure itself usually takes about one hour to complete.
A lumpectomy can take about 60 to 90 minutes. The procedure takes longer if you have oncoplastic lumpectomy or lymph node removal along with lumpectomy. Surgeons usually operate with a scalpel and an electrocautery knife, called a Bovie. This is a kind of electric scalpel that uses heat to minimize and stop bleeding.
A lumpectomy is usually performed as an outpatient procedure in a surgery center. Usually, an overnight stay in a hospital isn't necessary, and most patients resume regular daily activities within two weeks.
This surgery is one of many breast cancer treatments available. Unlike a mastectomy, which involves removal of all or a large portion of the breast tissue, a lumpectomy is not considered major surgery and women who have a lumpectomy often go home the same day of their procedure.
Most women can go home the same day after lumpectomy. For a mastectomy, you may go home the same day or stay for 1 or 2 nights, depending on the type of surgery. If you have immediate reconstruction, you will stay longer.
For 1 or 2 days after the surgery, you will probably feel tired and have some pain. The skin around the cut (incision) may feel firm, swollen, and tender, and be bruised. Tenderness should go away in about 2 or 3 days, and the bruising within 2 weeks. Firmness and swelling may last for 3 to 6 months.
In the first few weeks after surgery, most women wear a soft, non-wired bra that isn't too restrictive. You may find a front-fastening bra easier to put on as your shoulder may be stiff at first. Our leaflet Exercises after breast cancer surgery has exercises to help ease stiffness.
Unlike a mastectomy, a lumpectomy removes only the tumor and a small rim of normal tissue around it. It leaves most of the breast skin and tissue in place.
Cancers of exactly 2 cm in size occupy a special niche in breast oncology. That size is the one at which breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed (the “modal size”) and 2.0 cm marks the boundary between stage i and ii for node-negative breast cancers and between stage ii and iii for node-positive breast cancers.
Stitches. Most lumpectomy scars have dissolvable stitches that do not need to be removed.
Avoid strenuous activities, such as biking, jogging, weightlifting, or aerobic exercise, for 1 month or until your doctor says it is okay. This may include housework, such as washing windows, especially if you have to use the arm next to the affected breast.
This is usually less than 20-30 cc (cubic centimeters) per day for two consecutive days – about 2 tablespoons. Most drains are removed one to three weeks after surgery. If they stay in longer than three weeks, the risk of infection increases.
Right after a lumpectomy, you will:
Wake up in the recovery room. You will feel sleepy and need to rest. You will stay in the recovery room for about one hour after surgery. After one hour in the recovery room, you will be moved to another room until you feel ready to leave the hospital.
Surgery is the main treatment for stage I breast cancer.
These cancers can be treated with either breast-conserving surgery (BCS; sometimes called lumpectomy or partial mastectomy) or mastectomy.
If you've undergone a lumpectomy, the cancer could recur in the remaining breast tissue. If you've undergone a mastectomy, the cancer could recur in the tissue that lines the chest wall or in the skin.
MSK's experts recommend radiation treatment after a lumpectomy to lessen the chances that the cancer will come back. This approach (lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy) is known as breast-conserving therapy. A course of radiation starts between six and 12 weeks after lumpectomy surgery.
Have a tumor smaller than 5 cm (2 inches), that is also small relative to the size of the breast. Are not pregnant or, if pregnant, will not need radiation therapy immediately (to avoid risking harm to the fetus)
The average size of a tumor is 1 cm when found during regular breast self-exams. The average size of a tumor is 2.62 cm when found by women who do not do self-exams.
T0: No evidence of primary tumor. T1 (includes T1a, T1b, and T1c): Tumor is 2 cm (3/4 of an inch) or less across. T2: Tumor is more than 2 cm but not more than 5 cm (2 inches) across. T3: Tumor is more than 5 cm across.
Your breast may look different after a lumpectomy. You may have a small scar or dimpled skin where the tumor was removed. Or the shape of your breast may change. If you're concerned surgery will affect your breast size or symmetry, talk to your doctor before your lumpectomy.
Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen is usually taken daily in pill form. It's often used to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence after treatment for early-stage breast cancer. In this situation, it's typically taken for 5 to 10 years.
The overall breast cancer recurrence rate of patients who underwent lumpectomy without radiation was 39.2% compared to patients that underwent lumpectomy with radiation who had a recurrence rate of 14.3% [5].
After a lumpectomy, there will be an incision from the breast tissue removal that must heal. Taking care of this incision is imperative for both healing and avoiding infection. Incision care includes: Keeping the area clean: Use an antibacterial soap, avoid getting the dressing wet, and change bandages as instructed.
Bathing: Your incision will be covered with a bandage called a “steri-strips.” It is O.K. to take a shower the day after your surgery and you may get the steri-strips wet, just do not scrub them with soap.
You'll probably receive pain medicine through tubes or an intravenous drip. There might be some drains to remove waste and fluid from your body. While you are on the hospital ward, nurses will monitor your progress and help you with pain control, moving around, eating and drinking, and bathing.