Breast reconstruction options after mastectomy

Important trends have emerged in breast cancer in recent decades: More women are diagnosed with it, and more effective treatments are available. Together, these trends amount to more women living and thriving after being diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer. About 22% of all cancer survivors in the U.S. had breast cancer.

One key question after you’re treated for breast cancer might be this: Do you opt for breast reconstruction? This applies to the roughly one-third of women with early-stage breast cancer who lose a breast via a surgical procedure called mastectomy.

Increasingly, women are opting for mastectomy over lumpectomy, a different procedure that removes only the cancerous tumor and surrounding tissue. Research also shows that after a mastectomy, more women are choosing to have breast reconstruction. Reconstruction may occur immediately after the mastectomy or later.