There are two main types of mastectomy: total mastectomy, which is also called simple mastectomy, and modified radical mastectomy. The diagnosis guides the type of mastectomy a person will have.

In a total or simple mastectomy, the surgeon removes the entire breast and the lining of the chest muscle, but no other tissue. This type of mastectomy may be used to treat ductal carcinoma in situ, Paget disease of the breast with underlying DCIS, invasive breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence. It’s also used for women at high risk who undergo mastectomy to prevent the development of breast cancer. For some women, much of the skin of the breast may be left intact for breast reconstruction (called a skin- sparing mastectomy). The nipple may also be left intact (called a nipple-sparing mastectomy).

In a modified radical mastectomy, the surgeon removes the entire breast, the lining of the chest muscles and the lymph nodes in the underarm area (axillary lymph nodes). It may be used to treat invasive breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer and Paget disease of the breast with underlying invasive breast cancer.