Mastectomy is the removal of the whole breast. There are five different types of mastectomy: “simple” or “total” mastectomy, modified radical mastectomy, radical mastectomy, partial mastectomy, and subcutaneous (nipple-sparing) mastectomy.

Simple or total mastectomy concentrates on the breast tissue itself:

• The surgeon removes the entire breast.
• The surgeon does not perform axillary lymph node dissection (removal of lymph nodes in the underarm area). Sometimes, however, lymph
• nodes are occasionally removed because they happen to be located within the breast tissue taken during surgery.
• No muscles are removed from beneath the breast.