Lumpectomy: What to Expect

How long surgery takes

The lumpectomy surgery itself should take around 15–40 minutes. The process of being admitted and prepared for surgery will vary from place to place. The amount of time you spend in the recovery room, waking up and getting to the point that you're ready to go home, will vary from woman to woman.

The incision

The incision is the place the surgeon cuts into the breast to do whatever needs to be done. Talk with your surgeon ahead of time about what kind of scar you will have. Most surgeons use curved incisions (like a smile or a frown) that follow the natural curve of your breast and allow for better healing.

What happens

Your surgeon will probably operate with a kind of electric scalpel that uses heat to minimize bleeding (an electrocautery knife). If the tumor can be seen or felt, the surgeon will remove it along with a rim of healthy tissue around it. If the tumor cannot be felt or seen, the surgeon will have used a procedure BEFORE surgery to locate and mark the tumor using mammogram or ultrasound.

Sometimes, but not always, a drain will be put in place to collect excess fluid that can accumulate in the space where the tumor was. Finally, your surgeon will stitch the incision closed and dress the wound.

The risks

• There is usually a loss of sensation in part of the breast after lumpectomy, depending on the size of the lump removed. Some or most of this ability to feel can return.
• After surgery, your breasts may not match in size and shape. This is because removing breast tissue during surgery usually makes the affected breast appear smaller; however, swelling in response to surgery may also make your breast appear bigger.

More on surgical risks.

The hospital stay

Staying overnight in the hospital is not usually necessary with lumpectomy, unless you're also having lymph nodes removed.