Is a lumpectomy major or minor surgery?

Lumpectomy is a commonly performed surgery but still major surgery with risks and potential complications. Later on, additional treatments may be required following a lumpectomy such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.


Is lumpectomy considered major surgery?

Unlike a mastectomy, which involves removal of all or a large portion of the breast tissue, a lumpectomy is not considered major surgery and women who have a lumpectomy often go home the same day of their procedure.

Is a lumpectomy a high risk surgery?

Every surgery has some risk. But lumpectomy is a common procedure that offers a high level of safety and effectiveness. It's less invasive than mastectomy, a breast cancer surgery that removes the entire breast.


How long is a typical lumpectomy surgery?

Typically, a lumpectomy is a short, outpatient procedure. Most patients receive general anesthesia, but care teams may also use an IV with a sedative, or relaxing medication, and a local anesthetic is used to numb the area being operated on. The procedure typically takes about 15 to 40 minutes.

Is breast lump removal a major surgery?

Breast lump removal is done as an outpatient surgery most of the time. You will be given general anesthesia (you will be asleep, but pain free) or local anesthesia (you are awake, but sedated and pain free). The procedure takes about 1 hour. The surgeon makes a small cut on your breast.


The Difference Between Major Surgery and Minor Surgery



How long is the recovery from a breast lumpectomy?

Healing time after surgery can range anywhere from a few days to a week. After a lumpectomy without a lymph node biopsy, you're likely to feel well enough to return to work after two or three days. You can usually resume normal physical activities, like going to the gym, after one week.

How big is too big for a lumpectomy?

When excision of the lump would involve removing more than 30% of the breast tissue, a lumpectomy is not recommended. In general, 3-4 cm is considered to be the safe cutoff for lumpectomy in medium to large breasts.

How painful is lumpectomy recovery?

For 1 or 2 days after the surgery, you will probably feel tired and have some pain. The skin around the cut (incision) may feel firm, swollen, and tender, and be bruised. Tenderness should go away in about 2 or 3 days, and the bruising within 2 weeks. Firmness and swelling may last for 3 to 6 months.


What are the restrictions after a lumpectomy?

Avoid strenuous activities, such as biking, jogging, weightlifting, or aerobic exercise, for 1 month or until your doctor says it is okay. This may include housework, such as washing windows, especially if you have to use the arm next to the affected breast.

How soon do you start radiation after a lumpectomy?

Radiation therapy usually begins three to eight weeks after surgery unless chemotherapy is planned.

Is lumpectomy very painful?

Lumpectomy is performed under anesthesia; hence, the procedure itself is not painful. After the surgery and recovery from anesthesia, patients may experience pain, which usually resolves in a few days and can be minimized with painkillers prescribed by the doctor.


Do they put you to sleep for a lumpectomy?

A lumpectomy is usually performed using general anesthesia, which will put you into a sleep-like state during the procedure. Your surgeon will make an incision over the tumor or over the area that contains the wire or seed, remove the tumor and some surrounding tissue, and send it to the lab for analysis.

Does breast lumpectomy require hospital stay?

A lumpectomy is usually performed as an outpatient procedure in a surgery center. Usually, an overnight stay in a hospital isn't necessary, and most patients resume regular daily activities within two weeks.

What size tumor can be removed with lumpectomy?

Women who have tumors less than 2 cm across often undergo lumpectomy.


Can you go home after a lumpectomy?

How Long Will You Be in the Hospital? Most women can go home the same day after lumpectomy. For a mastectomy, you may go home the same day or stay for 1 or 2 nights, depending on the type of surgery. If you have immediate reconstruction, you will stay longer.

Does a lumpectomy affect size of breast?

Women may choose lumpectomy over mastectomy to keep their breast and have it look (as much as possible) like it did before surgery. However, lumpectomy will change the look and feel of the breast. Because some tissue is removed, the breast may be smaller. There will also be a scar and some numbness.

Is a 2 cm breast tumor big?

Background. Node-negative breast cancers from 2 cm to 5 cm in size are classified as stage ii, and smaller cancers, as stage i.


Can you lift your arm after a lumpectomy?

You should not lift your arm above shoulder level until cleared by your plastic surgeon. You may return to low-impact exercises four weeks after surgery.

What do I need at home after a lumpectomy?

Acetaminophen or NSAIDs such as ibuprofen usually can help ease any pain you may feel after lumpectomy. If you need something stronger, your doctor may prescribe opioids.
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  1. Rest. ...
  2. Take pain medication as needed. ...
  3. Take sponge baths if you have drains. ...
  4. Wear a good sports or support bra only if your doctor says you can.


Is a 1 cm breast tumor large?

1 cm is about the width of a pea. 2 cm is about the size of a peanut. 3 cm is about the size of a grape. 4 cm is about the size of a walnut.


Will I need chemo after lumpectomy?

After you have surgery to remove the breast cancer, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy to destroy any undetected cancer cells and reduce your risk of the cancer recurring. This is known as adjuvant chemotherapy.

Do you lose weight during radiotherapy?

Loss of appetite

Feeling sick and tired during radiotherapy can make you lose your appetite, which could lead to weight loss. But it's important to try to eat healthily and maintain your weight during treatment. Tell your care team if you do not feel you're eating enough.

Do you lose your hair with radiation?

Radiation therapy can also cause hair loss on the part of the body that is being treated. Hair loss is called alopecia. Talk with your health care team to learn if the cancer treatment you will be receiving causes hair loss. Your doctor or nurse will share strategies that have help others, including those listed below.


What happens if you don't get radiation after lumpectomy?

Over an average follow-up of five years, the study revealed that the rate of breast cancer recurrence in the same breast was 2.3% in women who skipped radiation after lumpectomy and took endocrine blockers instead — the same rate expected with radiation use, which was impressive, Dr. Tung says.

Does everyone need radiation after lumpectomy?

“Despite the less aggressive breast cancers typically diagnosed in this population, most patients who undergo [lumpectomy] continue to be treated with whole breast radiation therapy after surgery.