If a breast lump is cancerous, the decisions for treatment will be made by you and your doctor. A surgeon or oncologist (cancer specialist) is usually also consulted. Treatment decisions will take into account your age, how advanced the cancer is, the type of breast cancer, and if the cancer has spread to other parts of your body.

Possible surgical treatments are lumpectomy (removing the cancerous tissue only) or mastectomy (removing the entire breast). A few or many lymph nodes in the armpit area will also be removed. Other possible treatments are radiation therapy, chemotherapy (anticancer drugs), and hormone therapy. These different treatments may be used alone or together.

If you are considering mastectomy, you should discuss the options for breast reconstruction surgery with your surgeon.

If you have been taking estrogen, you will need to stop taking it.