| The type of surgery recommended in any given case | | | | In the United States, until recently, radical |
| of breast cancer has significance for postoperative | | | | mastectomy was the usual procedure for breast |
| therapy. Breast cancer surgery may be less | | | | cancer treatment. Today at least seven different |
| extensive or radical where the cancer has spread to | | | | types of mastectomy, some more widely accepted |
| the lymph nodes or to other parts of the body; the | | | | than other, may be performed namely: lumpectomy, |
| use of chemotherapy and radiation therapy may then | | | | simple mastectomy, modified-radical mastectomy, |
| be more aggressive. Breast cancer surgery recovery | | | | halsted-type radical mastectomy, radical mastectomy, |
| time depends on the procedure involved. | | | | super-radical mastectomy. All may be recommended |
| More commonly, the cancer is localized. The patient's | | | | in different cases depending upon the type of |
| options may, in consequence include: surgery only, | | | | cancer, its invasive potential, or ability to spread, and |
| surgery with radiation, surgery with chemotherapy, | | | | other factors. |
| surgery with a combination of these treatments; or | | | | Most patients have deep concern about many |
| radiation or chemotherapy without surgery. However, | | | | aspects of breast cancer surgery recovery time, |
| breast cancer surgery recovery time would differ | | | | including the cosmetic effects. For that reason, it is |
| depending upon the kind of surgery they had. | | | | important to select the appropriate type of surgery. |
| If the lesion is malignant, the surgeon proceeds with | | | | The rates of survival appear to depend as much on |
| the mastectomy. Depending upon the seriousness of | | | | timely use of pre and postoperative radiotherapy and |
| the case and the procedure recommended by the | | | | postoperative chemotherapy as on the type of |
| surgeon and the pathologist, the operation may be a | | | | operation. But the kind of operation may determine |
| simple mastectomy, a radical mastectomy, a modified | | | | whether the patient will be able to function and |
| radical mastectomy, or any of a number of other | | | | recover normally in a relatively short period of time. |
| forms of breast operation. | | | | |