What should you know about lumpectomy reconstruction?

Some people need no reconstruction because the breast shape remains acceptable; others may consider reshaping during surgery or after healing.

An oncoplastic surgeon may move nearby tissue into the cavity and reshape the breast, sometimes balancing the other breast for symmetry. A delayed procedure can be considered after healing, when the final contour is clearer. Reconstruction does not replace pathology or cancer treatment. Surgery for Breast Cancer or Paget Disease of the Breast may require additional treatment, and Radiotherapy can affect skin and tissue flexibility. Mastectomy with reconstruction is a different pathway from lumpectomy and should be compared only with a team who knows your diagnosis.

Tell the team what matters most to you: breast size, symmetry, scar position, recovery time, or avoiding another operation. Share previous surgery, smoking or vaping, medicines, allergies, and any plans for pregnancy or major weight change. Ask for a drawing or explanation of where tissue will move and whether drains, a second incision, or staged treatment may be involved. Follow wound, bra, activity, and exercise instructions after surgery. Keep follow-up visits so healing and the treatment plan can be reviewed together.

Contact the team for increasing redness, warmth, drainage, fever, worsening pain, a wound that opens, or swelling that grows quickly. Delayed healing, skin colour change, or a new hard area should also be assessed. Seek emergency care for severe breathing trouble, chest pain, fainting, or sudden heavy bleeding. Do not wait for a routine cosmetic review when a change is rapidly worsening.

Ask whether reshaping can be done with the lumpectomy, what tissue or technique would be used, how Radiotherapy may affect the result, and whether the opposite breast would be adjusted. Discuss likely scars, sensation, drains, recovery, future revisions, and how reconstruction might affect monitoring on imaging.