Mastectomy

A cancer that is extremely common to be diagnosed is a cancer called breast cancer. Although it is very rare, it is also possible for men to be diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is a cancer that can be treated by many different forms of treatment. For instance, a mastectomy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, etc. Today, we’ll focus on what mastectomies are and the different types of mastectomies. However, what is a mastectomy? 

A mastectomy is a surgical procedure where surgeons would remove some or all of the breast tissue. This form of surgery is only used when there are multiple areas of cancer in a breast, or in cases that are more severe or where patients are not able to or do not want to have radiation therapy. In addition, there are many types of mastectomies. One type of mastectomy is called a total mastectomy. A total mastectomy is a surgical procedure where surgeons will remove the entirety of the breast, including the lobules, ducts, fatty tissue, the nipple, and the areola. Another similar type of mastectomy is the skin-sparing mastectomy. The skin-barring mastectomy is a surgical procedure that takes out the cancerous area, the nipple, and the areola but leaves some of the skin of the breast. This type of mastectomy is very similar yet different to the nipple-sparing mastectomy. While the skin-sparing mastectomy “saves” the skin, the nipple-sparing mastectomy actually “saves” the nipple and the areola instead. Nevertheless, both surgeries work to take out the cancerous areas.

In more severe cases, surgeons may have to perform a surgery that is more intense. This surgery is called radical mastectomy. Radical mastectomy is a larger operation where surgeons remove the patient's entire breast. This operation includes the removal of the chest muscle walls, the nipple, the areola, the axillary lymph nodes, and the skin of the breast. But, this operation is rarely done today as there are many newer surgical operations that can be performed to save the breast and remove the tumor and cancerous areas. 

There are also situations where double mastectomies need to be performed. Double mastectomies are also called bilateral mastectomies. As people may infer from the name, double mastectomies are the procedure where both of the breast tissue need to be removed. This surgery is performed as a precaution when surgeons predict that the cancerous cells would transfer to the other breast. For these reasons, some surgeons may recommend performing a double mastectomy. 

The last types of mastectomy that surgeons may perform is prophylactic mastectomy and the contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. A prophylactic mastectomy is the removal of the breast tissues prior to the discovery of cancer cells whilst contralateral prophylactic mastectomy is the removal of healthy breasts if the patient has a gene mutation that can cause breast cancer or have a strong family history of getting breast cancer. These two procedures are very similar to each other as they both are the removal of the breast prior to the discovery of cancerous cells in the breast(s). If a patient has a family history of getting breast cancer, doctors may encourage checking for breast cancer through a mammogram and may recommend getting a prophylactic mastectomy. 

    Ultimately, there are many different types of mastectomies offered if you have a high chance of getting breast cancer or already have it. For instance, total mastectomy,  skin-sparing mastectomy, nipple-sparing mastectomy, radical mastectomy, double mastectomies, prophylactic mastectomy and the contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. All of these surgeries are targeted to remove cancerous cells from a patient's body and ease the spread and symptoms of breast cancer. Thus, there are many different procedures a surgeon may perform as treatment of breast cancer.

Written by Connie Ma at Incisionary

APA References

Breast cancer - Diagnosis and treatment. (2025, January 10). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/breast-cancer/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352475

Mastectomy | ACS. (n.d.). The American College of Surgeons. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://www.facs.org/for-patients/the-day-of-your-surgery/breast-cancer-surgery/understanding-your-operation/mastectomy/

Treatment of Breast Cancer | Breast Cancer. (2024, February 22). CDC. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://www.cdc.gov/breast-cancer/treatment/index.html

What Is a Mastectomy? (2025, March 31). American Cancer Society. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/treatment/surgery-for-breast-cancer/mastectomy.html