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Finding Compassionate Care: Lumpectomy in Arizona

Also called partial mastectomy, breast-conserving surgery, breast-sparing surgery, and wide excision, a lumpectomy removes a breast tumor and a small amount of normal tissue around it. Lumpectomy is a common treatment for small, early-stage breast cancer. Your doctor may also recommend a lumpectomy to remove fibroadenomas, a benign type of breast tumor.

Are you or someone you love facing breast cancer? You can rely on our team of expert oncologists at Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. We are dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer, providing specialized, world-class cancer care with humankindness. Find a Doctor near you today or call (602) 406-8222.

Risks & Complications

The general risks of any surgery include reactions to anesthesia, bleeding, blood clots, and infections. Other risks of a lumpectomy include:

  • Numbness in the breast that could be permanent
  • Differences in the breast shape and size
  • Damage to lymph nodes adjacent to the breast
  • Scarring

Lumpectomy: What to Expect at Dignity Health

Lumpectomy does not typically require an overnight stay in the hospital, but you will still need to take the time to recover at home. Be sure to follow these post-surgery guidelines:

  • If your pain and discomfort changes or worsens, call your doctor. This could be a sign of infection or another complication.
  • Get plenty of rest.
  • Prevent stiffness with arm exercises. Talk to your doctor to see what type are suggested.
  • Learn how to care for your drainage tube. During your first week or so of recovery, you may have a drainage tube at your surgery site. Your cancer care team will show you how to empty the tube.
  • Minimize swelling by wearing a supportive bra both day and night.

Recovery from lumpectomy surgery will take about four weeks. Combining lumpectomy and radiation therapy has the same overall breast cancer survival as mastectomy. Radiation treatments usually begin shortly after surgery and last about six weeks. 

At Dignity Health, our care doesn’t stop at treatment. From counseling to pain management to survivorship programs, we have a number of resources to help support your physical, mental, and spiritual needs for as long as you need them. 

Dignity Health provides specialized care for breast tumor removal through lumpectomy, in Arizona.