Mastectomy on one side: what to know

One-sided, or unilateral, mastectomy removes the breast tissue selected by the surgical team. The nipple, skin, or nearby lymph nodes may or may not be removed, depending on the tumour and the planned operation. The chest may look and feel different afterward, and numbness or tightness can occur as healing progresses.

Mastectomy may be part of treatment for Breast Cancer or Paget Disease of the Breast. A Lumpectomy is a different operation that removes the tumour and a margin while preserving more breast tissue; your surgeon can explain why one approach fits your diagnosis. Reconstruction can be performed at the same operation or considered later.

Ask whether you will need drains, how the incision will be covered, and which arm movements should be limited at first. Arrange loose front-opening clothing, help with meals and transport, and a comfortable place to rest. If treatment is planned before surgery, ask how Chemotherapy Before Surgery affects the timing.

Follow the wound and drain instructions you receive, take prescribed pain relief as directed, and begin shoulder exercises only when your team approves them. Swelling or heaviness in the arm can be assessed by a clinician; Lymphoedema Therapy may help when it is recommended.

Contact your surgical team promptly for increasing redness, warmth, swelling, wound separation, pus-like drainage, fever, worsening pain, or a drain that stops working or fills suddenly. Seek urgent help for severe breathlessness, chest pain, fainting, or uncontrolled bleeding. These signs need assessment and do not indicate a diagnosis by themselves.

Which tissues and lymph nodes are planned for removal? Will reconstruction, a prosthesis, or no reconstruction be suitable for me? When can I shower, drive, work, and raise my arm? What result will tell us whether more treatment is needed?