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
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Four years after she was diagnosed, in 2022, Hughes opted for a single mastectomy followed by chemotherapy, but in August 2024, doctors found the cancer had spread again.
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Rachel Raposas, People.com, 25 June 2025
Soon after, Munn underwent five surgeries in less than a year, including a double mastectomy and a procedure to remove her uterus.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 8 June 2025
At 43, in 2007, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy.
—Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, 28 May 2025
From sharing her initial diagnosis, to her post-chemo beach proposal, to modeling mastectomy bras for Victoria's Secret, her story has resonated with many.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mastectomy
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Rachel Raposas, People.com, 25 June 2025
Soon after, Munn underwent five surgeries in less than a year, including a double mastectomy and a procedure to remove her uterus.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 8 June 2025
At 43, in 2007, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy.
—Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, 28 May 2025
From sharing her initial diagnosis, to her post-chemo beach proposal, to modeling mastectomy bras for Victoria's Secret, her story has resonated with many.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mastectomy
Cite this Entry
“Mastectomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mastectomy. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical 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
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