Breast Conservation Surgery

During an excisional biopsy, also called lumpectomy, we will attempt to completely remove the area of concern, along with a surrounding margin of normal breast tissue, while you are under general anesthesia.

A picture will be taken of the tissue that is removed and compared to the prior image of the breast to ensure the entire affected area has been removed.

The suspicious tissue will then be sent to a pathologist who will identify it as cancerous or non-cancerous. You will usually receive your results within a week.

If an abnormality is cancerous, the cancerous tissue needs to be removed.

Traditionally, standard treatment for breast cancer involved removing an extensive amount of tissue under the arm which contains lymph nodes.

However, there is a relatively new technique that often offers an alternative to such radical surgery calledsentinel node biopsy.