mastectomy

noun

mas·​tec·​to·​my ma-ˈstek-tə-mē 

plural mastectomies

: surgical removal of all or part of the breast and sometimes associated lymph nodes and muscles

Did you know?

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. Early cases can often be treated with drugs or with a small operation called a lumpectomy (because it removes a lump). Though a "simple mastectomy" is larger than a lumpectomy, it allows the breast to be reconstructed, using artificial implants or tissue from elsewhere on the body. But "radical mastectomy", which is required when the cancer is at an advanced stage, takes much of the chest muscle and makes reconstruction impossible.

Examples of mastectomy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sodhi’s efforts were supported by Dr. Kanchan Kaur, a surgeon who reconstructs breasts after a mastectomy and who is practicing in Medanta Hospital, where Gupta now works. —Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 8 Sep. 2024

Hildebrand, now 55, was 45 when she was diagnosed in 2014 and underwent a double mastectomy, per CBS. —Marina Watts, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2024

In Maria, the 49-year-old actress returns to portray opera icon Maria Callas, which marks Jolie’s first major film appearance following her decision to undergo a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy and breast reconstruction in 2013 due to her BRCA1 gene mutation and elevated risk of breast cancer. —Sandra Rose Salathe, Flow Space, 5 Sep. 2024

Oncology affirms the prevailing knowledge that excising the cancerous lump, getting a single mastectomy, or a double mastectomy all return about the same rate of survival: over 80% over 20 years of followup. —Brittany Trang, STAT, 26 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Greek mastos breast + English -ectomy

First Known Use

circa 1923, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

mastectomy

noun

mas·​tec·​to·​my ma-ˈstek-tə-mē 

plural mastectomies

: surgical removal of all or part of the breast and sometimes associated lymph nodes and muscles see modified radical mastectomy, partial mastectomy, radical mastectomy, simple mastectomy