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

Stone did not ultimately undergo a double mastectomy, as the tumors were benign. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026

After chemotherapy, Selina underwent a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction. —Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026

Regis went through six months of chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy, six weeks of radiation, a total hysterectomy (to eliminate her body’s main source of estrogen), and breast reconstruction, all over a span of roughly 18 months. —Ayren Jackson-Cannady, SELF, 29 May 2026

The condition isn’t limited to double mastectomies. —Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 27 May 2026

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