Gordon Schwartz, M.D., Thomas Jefferson University
Question: Will I need reconstruction if I have a lumpectomy?
Answer: In general, and for most patients -- in fact, almost all patients -- a reconstruction should never be necessary after what's called a 'lumpectomy.' In other words, the removal of the lump in the breast, the tumor in the breast, and then radiating the breast -- that's the combination of things, that's called 'breast conservation.' If a lumpectomy were so large that it needed to be accompanied by a reconstruction, then probably, that patient should have had a mastectomy. A well-done mastectomy with a well-done reconstruction is infinitely better, both cosmetically and from the medical aspects, than a poorly-conceived lumpectomy just to be able to say one had a lumpectomy.
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