Mastectomy

Your surgeon will remove all the breast tissue. This may also include the overlying skin, nipple, areola, and lymph nodes. A drainage tube may come out of the wound site (see Your Surgical Drain). Recovery time varies. It may be 2 to 6 weeks depending on the type of reconstruction performed. Reconstruction or breast prosthesis are options (see Breast Reconstruction).

There are different types of mastectomies. The options depend on your cancer type.

Simple Total Mastectomy

Removes all breast tissue. This includes the nipple, areola, and some overlying skin. The muscle beneath the breast is not removed. You will have a scar across the site where the breast was removed.

Skin-Sparing Mastectomy

Removes all breast tissue but leaves as much healthy breast skin as possible. This procedure is done when the plan is for reconstruction of the breast, nipple, and areola. This option allows for more natural-looking reconstruction. 

Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy

Removes all breast tissue but leaves the nipple, areola, and overlying skin. The incision is usually placed in a skin fold or on the side of the breast. This option allows for more natural looking reconstruction. This is not recommended if the cancer includes the nipple or for Paget's disease.

Modified Radical Mastectomy

Removes all breast tissue. This includes the nipple, areola, and axillary lymph nodes. The chest wall muscle is left intact.

Radical Mastectomy

A radical mastectomy removes all breast tissue. This includes the nipple, areola, axillary lymph nodes, and skin. It also includes the chest wall muscles under the breast. This is done when breast cancer has spread to the muscle beneath the breast.

Prophylactic Mastectomy

This procedure removes all breast tissue before cancer has been found. This is done to reduce the chance of breast cancer. This is usually done when there is a strong family history of breast cancer or a cancer gene mutation.

Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy

Removal of the healthy breast in someone with breast cancer in the other breast. You may be offered this option if you have:

• A gene mutation linked to breast cancer, including BRCA1, BRCA2, or PALB2
• A strong family history of breast cancer in more than one first-degree relative, like a mother, sister, or daughter

• There may be scarring, numbness, or change of sensation at and around the scar(s) or radiation areas
• Bleeding
• Infection. The risk of this is less than 4% risk for the average healthy patient.⁷¹*
• Pain at the breast site, chest wall, and arm pit
• Burning or shooting nerve pain in the chest wall, armpit, and/or arm. This is known as neuropathic pain. Pain that does not decrease over time is called postmastectomy pain syndrome.
• Need for additional surgery due to a problem after the prior surgery. This risk is less than 5% for the average healthy patient.⁷¹*

Ask your doctor about all your treatment options based on your reports. This will help you make the best treatment decisions to prevent recurrence. A combination of treatments may provide long-term disease control.

*The ACS Surgical Risk Calculator estimates the risk of an unfavorable outcome. Data is from a large number of patients who had a surgical procedure similar to a simple complete mastectomy. If you are healthy with no health problems, your risks may be below average. If you smoke, are obese, or have other health conditions, then your risk may be higher. This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor or health care provider. To check your risks, go to the ACS Risk Calculator.