Large breast cancers are usually treated with a mastectomy, as the appearance of the breast may be very abnormal if large areas of tissue need to be removed. However, sometimes it is possible to do a lumpectomy and immediate reconstruction.

One procedure is known as a mini-flap. First a wide local excision is done, which removes the area of breast cancer and a surrounding healthy area of tissue. When it is certain that all the cancer has been removed, the latissimus dorsi muscle is removed and tunnelled into the breast to fill the hole that was created by removing the cancer.

The surgery to move the latissimus dorsi muscle is done through a tiny cut in the skin either under the armpit or at the very side of the breast. This procedure does not cause any extra scars in the breast.

You may have the option of therapeutic mammoplasty. In this procedure, after the wide local excision, the surgeon will move some of the breast tissue around to make a nicely shaped breast. This method is only suitable for women whose breasts are big enough to have enough breast tissue to move.

Radiotherapy to the breast is usually given after a lumpectomy and immediate reconstruction.

Lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy (breast conserving treatment) is a commonly used treatment for women with breast cancer.

Up to 1 in 5 (20%) women will find that the treated breast is smaller than the other. In this situation it may be possible to match the breasts by making the opposite breast smaller. Or the lost tissue in the treated breast can be replaced by a skin and muscle flap (most commonly a latissimus dorsi flap).

Very occasionally an implant is used to increase the size of the treated breast to produce a match with the opposite breast.