The key difference between a lumpectomy and simple mastectomy is that a lumpectomy removes cancer cells and some of the surrounding normal breast tissue but leaves the breast intact, while a simple mastectomy removes the entire breast.
Breast cancer is a form of cancer in the cells of the breasts. It is the most common cancer diagnosed in women after skin cancer. Moreover, breast cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation, or surgery. Lumpectomy and simple mastectomy are two different types of surgeries that are used to treat breast cancer.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Lumpectomy
3. What is Simple Mastectomy
4. Similarities – Lumpectomy and Simple Mastectomy
5. Lumpectomy vs Simple Mastectomy in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Lumpectomy vs Simple Mastectomy
What is a Lumpectomy?
A lumpectomy is a surgery to treat breast cancer. In a lumpectomy, cancer cells and some of the surrounding normal breast tissues are removed, leaving the breast intact. It is a kind of surgical removal of a discrete portion of breast tissue, normally when treating a malignant tumor in breast cancer. The amount of tissue removed is limited compared to a full mastectomy in the lumpectomy. Therefore, a lumpectomy has several physical and emotional advantages over other surgeries. Moreover, lumpectomy is considered a viable breast conservation therapy.
A lumpectomy may be used either to confirm or rule out cancer that has been actually detected. This technique is usually recommended to people who are in the early stages of breast cancer and who do not have large tumors. Although this technique leaves remaining the breast intact, the procedure may result in several adverse effects such as sensitivity, appearing scar tissue, and possible disfigurement of the breast if the lump is taken out. Furthermore, according to National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, lumpectomy can be mainly performed for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC).
What is a Simple Mastectomy?
Simple mastectomy is another type of surgery to treat breast cancer. In a simple mastectomy, the entire breast is removed. A simple mastectomy removes the breast tissue, nipple, areola, and skin but not all lymph nodes. A few underarm lymph nodes might also be removed as part of a sentinel lymph node biopsy. This also depends on the situation. Most women who undergo simple mastectomy can go home the next day. After undergoing a simple mastectomy, a woman might want to rebuild and reconstruct the breast again. This is called breast reconstruction surgery.
Figure 01: Breast Surgery
The possible side effects after a simple mastectomy include pain or tenderness at the surgery site, swelling at the surgery site, build-up of blood in the wound (hematoma), build-up of clear fluid in the wound (seroma), limited arm or shoulder movement, numbness in the chest or upper arm, neuropathic pain and lymphedema. Furthermore, a simple mastectomy is a treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), stage I and II breast cancer, stage III breast cancer (locally advanced), inflammatory breast cancer, Paget’s disease of the breast, and locally recurrent breast cancer.
What are the Similarities Between a Lumpectomy and Simple Mastectomy?
- Lumpectomy and simple mastectomy are two different types of surgeries used to treat breast cancer.
- Both can be performed for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive ductal carcinoma.
- They may cause breast disfigurement.
- Both are expensive procedures.
- They can largely eradicate breast cancer tissue compared to other treatment options.
What is the Difference Between a Lumpectomy and Simple Mastectomy?
In a lumpectomy, cancer cells and some of the surrounding normal breast tissues are removed, leaving the breast intact, while in simple mastectomy, the entire breast is removed. Thus, this is the key difference between a lumpectomy and simple mastectomy. Furthermore, lumpectomy has more physical and emotional advantages compared to mastectomy.
The below infographic presents the differences between a lumpectomy and simple mastectomy in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Lumpectomy vs Simple Mastectomy
Surgery is normally the first type of treatment for breast cancer. The type of surgery will depend on the type of breast cancer they possess. Lumpectomy and simple mastectomy are two different types of surgeries that are used to treat breast cancer. Lumpectomy is a surgery that involves removing the cancer cells and some of the surrounding normal breast tissue but leaving the breast intact, while simple mastectomy is a surgery that involves removing the entire breast. So, this is the key difference between a lumpectomy and simple mastectomy.
Reference:
1. “Lumpectomy.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 11 Mar. 2021.
2. “Mastectomy.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, 8 Aug. 2021.
Image Courtesy:
1. “William Stewart Halsted, Surgical papers Wellcome L0004968” By Welcome Image Gallery (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia