Surgery is one of the main treatment methods used for breast cancer. You can have so-called conservative surgery, where only the tumor and part of the tissue surrounding the tumor is removed, or you may have a mastectomy, in which the tumor and breast are taken out at the same time. In both operations, there may be a proposal to remove lymph nodes if they have become involved.

Breast reconstruction for women having a mastectomy may be performed during or after the operation.

Sometimes, doctors decide to give chemotherapy or hormone therapy before surgery to reduce the size of the tumor, thus making it easier to resect the tumor.