breast conservation surgery
Last reviewed 06/2023
Breast conservation surgery may involve either wide local excision or a quadrantectomy:
- wide local excision involves removal of the tumour with at least a 1 cm margin of normal breast tissue
- quadrantectomy is more extensive and involves removal of a whole quadrant of the breast
Breast conservation is often combined with axillary node dissection and/or local radiotherapy. The wider the excision the lower the recurrence rate, but the poorer the cosmetic result. However, cosmetic results are better generally than mastectomy and breast reconstruction is not usually required.
Alternative terms for operations involving breast conservation include lumpectomy, tumourectomy and tylectomy. They all imply removal of the tumour with a peripheral rim of normal tissue.