Long-term side effects of mastectomy
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Life after single mastectomy
Can you get your breasts removed without cancer...
Mastectomy – What You Need to Know
Mastectomy for breast cancer treatment
A mastectomy is an option for people who have:
A mastectomy is also used to treat breast cancer that has recurred (come back) after treatment with a lumpectomy plus radiation therapy.
Learn about the types of mastectomy.
Learn about mastectomy surgery.
Read our fact sheet on breast cancer surgery.
Radiation therapy
Some women who have a mastectomy will not need radiation therapy.
However, in some cases, radiation therapy is used after a mastectomy to treat the chest wall, the axillary lymph nodes (the lymph nodes in the underarm area) and/or the lymph nodes around the collarbone.
If your treatment plan includes chemotherapy, you’ll have radiation therapy after you finish chemotherapy.
When is a lumpectomy plus radiation therapy an option to a mastectomy?
Some women have the option of a mastectomy or a lumpectomy (also called breast-conserving surgery), and choose a mastectomy.
For other women, a mastectomy is the only breast cancer surgery option.
Some women can have a lumpectomy plus radi
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