Mastectomy

Mastectomy is the removal of all the breast tissue, done to treat breast cancer or to reduce risk in women with a very high inherited chance of developing it. Depending on the situation, the skin envelope and sometimes the nipple can be kept so that the breast can be rebuilt at the same operation.

It removes the disease in the breast with a very low chance of local recurrence and often avoids radiotherapy. It does not improve survival over breast-conserving surgery in suitable early cancers, it changes sensation permanently, and further treatment such as hormone therapy or chemotherapy may still be advised.

What Mastectomy involves

Before surgery you need imaging, a core biopsy with receptor results, staging where indicated, and a discussion in a multidisciplinary team, including whether drug treatment should come first. Reconstruction options are discussed at the same time. Under general anaesthetic the surgeon makes an elliptical incision (or a hidden incision for skin- or nipple-sparing types), separates the breast gland from the skin flaps and from the chest muscle, and removes it in one piece. Sentinel node biopsy or axillary clearance is done through the same or a separate cut. If immediate reconstruction is planned, a plastic surgeon places an expander or implant, or transfers a tissue flap. One or two drains are left and the skin is closed.

Who is a good candidate for Mastectomy?

Mastectomy is advised or chosen in these situations.

• A tumour that is large relative to the breast, or cancer in more than one quadrant
• Widespread DCIS
• Recurrence after earlier lumpectomy and radiotherapy
• Inflammatory breast cancer, after chemotherapy
• BRCA1, BRCA2 or similar gene carriers choosing risk-reducing surgery
• Women who cannot have, or prefer to avoid, radiotherapy

It is usually not the right choice if:

• Small single tumours where lumpectomy with radiotherapy gives equal survival and you wish to keep the breast
• Metastatic disease at diagnosis, where surgery to the breast is not routine
• People unfit for a general anaesthetic
• Anyone deciding under pressure: risk-reducing surgery in particular deserves genetic counselling and time

Technique options

• Simple (total) mastectomy: Removes breast, nipple and an ellipse of skin. Used when no immediate reconstruction is planned.
• Skin-sparing mastectomy: Keeps the skin envelope for immediate reconstruction; the nipple is removed.
• Nipple-sparing mastectomy: Keeps skin and nipple when the tumour is away from the nipple. The nipple loses most sensation.
• Modified radical mastectomy: Breast removal with axillary node clearance, for cancers that have spread to the armpit nodes.
• Risk-reducing bilateral mastectomy: For high-risk gene carriers. Lowers breast cancer risk by around 90 to 95 percent, though not to zero.

What happens during your treatment

Surgery takes 1.5 to 3 hours without reconstruction and 3 to 8 hours with it, under general anaesthetic. Expect 1 to 3 nights in hospital, longer after flap reconstruction. You wake with a chest dressing and drains. Pain is moderate and the chest feels tight and numb.

Preparing for your trip

Plan for 14 to 21 days in Istanbul. Your surgeon reviews photographs and your medical history before you book, and you meet in person the day before surgery for examination, marking and consent with a professional interpreter.

• Stop smoking and nicotine at least four weeks before and after surgery; it is the single biggest avoidable cause of wound problems
• Tell the team about every medicine and supplement you take; blood thinners, some herbal products and hormone treatment may need to be paused on your doctor's advice
• Arrange for someone to travel with you or to be reachable, and keep the first days at home free of work and lifting
• Book a changeable return flight; your surgeon confirms when you are fit to fly

Recovery and results

Drains stay for 5 to 14 days until output falls. Arm and shoulder exercises start the next day. Most women resume light activity in 2 weeks and normal activity in 4 to 6 weeks, longer after reconstruction. Pathology results arrive in 1 to 2 weeks and decide on further treatment. Seroma under the scar is common and drained by needle in clinic. The chest wall and inner arm remain numb for a long time, often permanently. An external prosthesis can be fitted from about 6 weeks if you have not had reconstruction.

• Back to everyday activity: 4 to 6 weeks
• When results show: Pathology in 1 to 2 weeks
• How long they last: Permanent, with ongoing oncology follow-up

Safety, risks and revision policy

It is a well-established operation, though the impact is significant, physically and emotionally.

• Seroma needing repeated drainage
• Bleeding or haematoma requiring a return to theatre
• Wound infection or poor healing of the skin flaps, more common in smokers and after radiotherapy
• Loss of part or all of the nipple in nipple-sparing surgery
• Permanent numbness, chronic chest wall or arm pain
• Lymphoedema of the arm after node clearance
• Shoulder stiffness
• Implant loss or flap failure when reconstruction is performed

Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.

Cost of Mastectomy in Türkiye

Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Mastectomy, because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:

• One side or both
• Type of mastectomy and whether reconstruction is done at once
• Sentinel node biopsy versus axillary clearance
• Pathology and receptor or genomic testing
• Hospital nights and drain care

Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

Frequently Asked Questions