mastectomy

noun

mas·​tec·​to·​my ma-ˈstek-tə-mē 

plural mastectomies

: surgical removal of all or part of the breast and sometimes associated lymph nodes and muscles

Did you know?

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. Early cases can often be treated with drugs or with a small operation called a lumpectomy (because it removes a lump). Though a "simple mastectomy" is larger than a lumpectomy, it allows the breast to be reconstructed, using artificial implants or tissue from elsewhere on the body. But "radical mastectomy", which is required when the cancer is at an advanced stage, takes much of the chest muscle and makes reconstruction impossible.

Examples of mastectomy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Her course of treatment involved a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025

Amid her treatment, Munn in October posed for a Skims campaign that showed her mastectomy scars. —Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025

Surgery: People who are at very high risk for breast cancer may choose to have a prophylactic mastectomy (having their breasts removed ). —Carrie Madormo, Rn, Health, 27 Feb. 2025

Medical tattooing, for example, is sometimes offered to cancer patients who undergo mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. —Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Greek mastos breast + English -ectomy

First Known Use

circa 1923, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mastectomy

• colectomy
• cystectomy
• gastrectomy
• lobectomy
• nephrectomy
• splenectomy
• thymectomy
• vasectomy
• vitrectomy
• adrenalectomy
• cholecystectomy
• endarterectomy

Medical Definition

mastectomy

noun

mas·​tec·​to·​my ma-ˈstek-tə-mē 

plural mastectomies

: surgical removal of all or part of the breast and sometimes associated lymph nodes and muscles see modified radical mastectomy, partial mastectomy, radical mastectomy, simple mastectomy