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mastectomy
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: mastectomy
Mastectomymăstĕk'təmē, surgical removal of breast tissue, usually done as treatment for breast cancer. There are many types of mastectomy. In general, the farther the cancer has spread, the more tissue is taken. The radical mastectomies of the past (which removed not only the breast, but underlying chest muscle and lymph nodes) have largely been replaced by less drastic, but equally effective procedures. For small tumors, lumpectomy, removing just the tumor and a margin of tissue, may be performed. A partial, or segmental, mastectomy removes the cancer, some breast tissue, the lining over the chest, and usually some lymph nodes from under the arm; total or simple mastectomy removes the whole breast; modified radical mastectomy takes the breast, lining over the chest muscles, and lymph nodes.

Breast reconstruction can be done using the patient's own tissue or breast implants. Mammograms and self-conducted breast exams have done much to reduce the need for radical procedures because they have increased early detection of the cancer, allowing it to be treated before it has spread.

The Columbia Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2001-09 Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

Wikipedia search results for: Mastectomy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In medicine, mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Mastectomy is usually done to treat breast cancer; in some cases, women and some men believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operation prophylactically, that is, to prevent cancer rather than treat it. It is also the medical procedure carried out to remove breast cancer tissue in males. Alternatively, certain patients can choose to have a wide local excision, also known as a lumpectomy, an operation in which a small volume of breast tissue containing the tumor and some surrounding healthy tissue is removed to conserve the breast....more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: mastectomy
Results 1 - 4  of 4
  • breast implant

    Breast implant, saline- or silicone-filled prosthesis used after mastectomy as a part of the breast reconstruction process or used cosmetically to augment small breasts. An implant consists of...

  • plastic surgery

    Plastic surgery, surgical repair of congenital or acquired deformities and the restoration of contour to improve the appearance and function of tissue defects. Development of this specialized ...

  • breast cancer

    Breast cancer, cancer that originates in the breast. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women (following lung cancer). Even allowing for improvements in detection (i....

  • cancer, in medicine

    Cancer, in medicine, common term for neoplasms, or tumors, that are malignant. Like benign tumors, malignant tumors do not respond to body mechanisms that limit cell growth. Unlike benign tumo...

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