Why it's done

The goal of breast cancer surgery is to remove cancer cells from your breast. For those who choose breast reconstruction, a procedure to place breast implants or reconstruct a breast from your own tissue (flap surgery) may be done at the same time or in a later operation.

Breast cancer surgery is used to treat most stages of breast cancer, including:

• A high risk of breast cancer. People with a high risk of breast cancer based on a strong family history of the disease, certain noncancerous breast biopsy results or a gene mutation might consider preventive (prophylactic) mastectomy with or without immediate breast reconstruction as an option to prevent breast cancer.
• Noninvasive breast cancer. People diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) may undergo lumpectomy, which may be followed by radiation therapy, though mastectomy with or without breast reconstruction may also be an option.
• Early-stage breast cancer. Small breast cancers may be treated with lumpectomy or mastectomy with or without breast reconstruction followed by radiation and, sometimes, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or targeted therapy.
• Larger breast cancers. Larger cancers may be treated with mastectomy, though sometimes chemotherapy, hormone therapy or targeted therapy is used before surgery to make it possible to perform a lumpectomy. Additional treatment with radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or targeted therapy may be recommended.
• Locally advanced breast cancers. Breast cancers that are very large or have spread to several lymph nodes are often treated first with chemotherapy, hormone therapy or targeted therapy to shrink the tumor and make surgery more successful. These cancers may be removed using mastectomy or lumpectomy, followed by radiation therapy.
• Recurrent breast cancer. Breast cancer that returns after initial treatment may be removed with additional surgery. Additional treatments may be recommended.

Surgery is seldom used to treat breast cancer that spreads to other parts of the body (metastatic breast cancer).