Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC)
Most common type (80% of cases)
At Mangal Anand Hospital, our oncology team provides personalised breast cancer treatment using the latest protocols. Located in Chembur with easy access from Thane, Ghatkopar, and Navi Mumbai, we offer complete care from screening to survivorship.
Mangal Anand Hospital offers breast cancer surgery in Chembur, Mumbai, planned by a breast surgical oncology team that explains every option before you decide.
Surgery is the main treatment for most breast cancers that have not spread beyond the breast and the nearby lymph nodes. For many women, the cancer can be removed while keeping the breast. For others, removing the whole breast is the safer or preferred choice. Your surgeon will explain which operation suits your diagnosis, what it involves, and how it fits with chemotherapy, radiation or hormone therapy.
Most common type (80% of cases)
Aggressive but treatable with immunotherapy.
Targeted therapy available
Non-invasive, high cure rates
Advanced treatment to manage spread.
There are two main operations for breast cancer: lumpectomy, which removes the tumour and keeps the breast, and mastectomy, which removes the whole breast. The right choice depends on the size and position of the tumour, the size of your breast, whether there is more than one tumour, your genetic risk, your other treatment, and your own preference. For suitable early breast cancers, long-term studies show that lumpectomy followed by radiation gives similar survival to mastectomy. Choosing mastectomy does not, by itself, make survival more likely. It may still be the better option in certain situations.
The surgeon removes the tumour with a rim of healthy tissue around it, called the margin. The tissue is then examined under a microscope to confirm the margins are clear. If cancer cells are found at the edge, a second, smaller operation may be needed.
Lumpectomy is usually followed by radiation therapy to the breast. It may be suitable when:
Oncoplastic surgery combines lumpectomy with plastic surgery techniques. The remaining breast tissue is reshaped after the tumour is removed, which can allow a larger tumour to be removed while keeping a natural breast shape. Sometimes the other breast is also adjusted for symmetry.
Mastectomy removes all the breast tissue. Your surgeon may recommend it when the tumour is large compared with the breast, when cancer is found in several parts of the breast, when radiation is not possible, or when clear margins cannot be achieved with lumpectomy. Some women choose mastectomy even when lumpectomy is an option.
Women with a high inherited risk, such as a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene change, may consider removing one or both breasts to lower their risk. This decision needs genetic counselling and a detailed discussion with your surgeon.
Book a screening if you notice:
New lump in breast/armpit.
Nipple discharge (especially bloody).
Dimpling/puckering of breast skin
Unexplained breast pain or swelling
Nipple inversion or rash
95%+ early-stage survival rates.
3D mammography, MRI, genomic testing
Lumpectomy options when possible
For young patients pre-chemo
Book a screening if you notice:
Lumpectomy (breast-saving)
Mastectomy (with reconstruction options)
Sentinel Node Biopsy (minimally invasive staging)
Chemotherapy: Neo-adjuvant (pre-surgery) or adjuvant
Hormone Therapy: For ER/PR+ cancers (e.g., Tamoxifen)
Targeted Drugs: Trastuzumab for HER2+ cases
3D-CRT (precise targeting to spare healthy tissue)
Implants or autologous flap reconstruction post-mastectomy
Most breast cancer operations include checking the lymph nodes in the armpit (the axilla), because whether cancer has reached them guides further treatment. Today, many women need only a few nodes removed rather than all of them.
The sentinel nodes are the first one to a few lymph nodes that the breast drains into. A tracer is injected near the tumour to locate them, and only these nodes are removed and tested. Sentinel node biopsy is used when the armpit nodes appear normal on examination and scans. It has a much lower risk of arm swelling than removing all the nodes.
If cancer is confirmed in the armpit nodes before surgery, or several sentinel nodes contain cancer, the surgeon may remove more lymph nodes from the armpit. In some women with limited spread to the sentinel nodes, radiation can be used instead of further node removal. Your surgeon will explain which approach applies to you.
Removing more lymph nodes increases the risk of lymphoedema, a long-term swelling of the arm or hand. Early arm exercises, skin care and prompt attention to any swelling help reduce its impact.
Many women do. Breast cancer is usually treated with a combination of therapies, and the order matters. Your team plans the sequence based on the stage of the cancer and its receptor status (ER, PR and HER2).
Not always. Radiation after mastectomy is generally recommended when the tumour was large, when cancer was found in several lymph nodes, when the cancer involved the skin or chest wall, or when cancer cells were close to the edge of the removed tissue. It is often discussed when one to three lymph nodes contain cancer. Many women with small, node-negative cancers do not need it. A radiation oncologist makes this decision with you after reviewing your pathology report.
After a lumpectomy, radiation is usually part of treatment. Some older women with small, hormone-sensitive cancers who take hormone therapy may be able to avoid it.
Surgery is planned only after the diagnosis is confirmed and the extent of the cancer is known. At Mangal Anand Hospital, this usually involves five steps.
You will have time to ask questions, weigh lumpectomy against mastectomy, and discuss reconstruction. A biopsy does not spread cancer, and a short, planned interval for these tests is normal.
Yes. Most women who have a mastectomy can choose breast reconstruction, either during the same operation (immediate reconstruction) or months or years later (delayed reconstruction). Reconstruction is optional. Some women prefer a breast prosthesis that fits inside the bra, or no reconstruction at all.
Timing depends on whether you need radiation, your general health and your preference. Your breast surgeon and the hospital's plastic and reconstructive surgery team plan reconstruction together, so the cancer operation is not compromised.
Breast cancer surgery is a common and generally safe operation, but every surgery carries risks. Most side effects are temporary and manageable. Your surgeon will discuss the risks that apply to you.
Common, usually short-term effects
Less common complications
Having a breast removed or changed can also affect how you feel about your body. This is a normal response, and it is worth talking about with your team, a counsellor or a support group.
Most women return to light daily activities within one to two weeks after a lumpectomy and within three to four weeks after a mastectomy. Recovery takes longer after reconstruction, often four to eight weeks. Your own recovery depends on the operation, the lymph node surgery, your general health and any further treatment.
Contact the hospital promptly if you notice fever, increasing redness, swelling or discharge from the wound, sudden arm swelling, or pain that is not controlled by your medicines.
The cost of breast cancer surgery in Mumbai varies from patient to patient, so a reliable estimate is possible only after your surgeon has examined you and decided on the operation. The main factors are:
Surgery is usually one part of a wider treatment plan, so ask how chemotherapy, radiation or hormone therapy will add to the overall cost. If you have health insurance, bring your policy details to the consultation so coverage can be checked before admission.
For most breast cancers that have not spread, surgery is an essential part of treatment and offers the best chance of cure. Chemotherapy, hormone therapy or radiation alone are used mainly when cancer has spread to other organs, or when a person is not fit for an operation. There is no proven alternative therapy that replaces surgery.
Often, yes. Many women with small cancers and no lymph node involvement do not need radiation after mastectomy. It is usually recommended when the tumour was large, several lymph nodes were involved, or the margins were close. Your oncologist will advise after reviewing your pathology report.
The operation is done under general anaesthesia, so you will not feel pain during it. Afterwards, most women have moderate discomfort for a few days, which is controlled with pain-relief medicines.
Many women with early breast cancer can, through lumpectomy or oncoplastic surgery. Chemotherapy before surgery can sometimes shrink a larger tumour enough to make this possible. Your surgeon will tell you whether it is a safe option for you.
Many women return to desk-based work within two to four weeks after lumpectomy or mastectomy, and later after reconstruction or with physically demanding jobs. Further treatment such as chemotherapy can also affect the timing.
Yes. A second opinion is common before cancer surgery. Bring your biopsy report, scans and any treatment plan you have been given, and our breast surgical team will review them with you.
A mastectomy means that breast can no longer produce milk; after lumpectomy and radiation, milk supply from that breast is usually reduced. If you hope to have children, tell your team before treatment begins, because some treatments can affect fertility and options to preserve it can be discussed.
Mangal Anand Hospital is located in Chembur, Mumbai, and is conveniently accessible for patients from Ghatkopar, Kurla, Tilak Nagar, Sion, Wadala, Govandi, Deonar and Navi Mumbai.