A lumpectomy completely removes all of the tumour, with a rim of normal breast tissue surrounding it. A lumpectomy is also known as breast-conserving surgery.

A breast conserving procedure is usually not recommended if:

• Your cancer is large relative to the size of your breast.
• You have already had radiation therapy to the affected breast.
• You have 2 or more areas of cancer in the same breast that are too far apart to be removed through one single surgical incision and still maintain a satisfactory appearance of the breast.
• You have had an initial lumpectomy that had a positive margin requiring re-excision, if this re-excision margin remains positive, then mastectomy is recommended.
• You have any active connective tissue diseases such as scleroderma or lupus, which may make you particularly sensitive to the side effects of radiation therapy and thus it may be contra-indicated.
• You are pregnant and require radiation, which could harm the fetus.
• You have a large tumor (greater than 5cm across) that showed a minimal reduction after neoadjuvant chemotherapy
• You have inflammatory breast cancer
• Men with breast cancer are not typically candidates for lumpectomy as their breast tissue is usually too minimal. Typically men with breast cancer will receive mastectomy.