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Removing the cancer and keeping the breast, followed by radiotherapy, at Apollo Hospital, Bhat, Gandhinagar–Ahmedabad.
Breast conservation surgery in Ahmedabad is carried out by Dr Swapnil Sharma, MS, FMAS, DrNB (Surgical Oncology), Consultant Surgical Oncologist, at Apollo Hospital International Ltd, Bhat, Gandhinagar. This page covers who the operation suits, what happens on the day, what the report decides, and what recovery asks of you.
Shah’s Gastro, Cancer & Robotic Surgery Centre. Breast cancer treatment is planned with medical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology and pathology together; every case is discussed at the tumour board.
Dr Swapnil Sharma
MS, FMAS, DrNB (Surgical Oncology)
Consultant Surgical Oncologist, Apollo Bhat
Google rating 5.0, 25 reviews — Apollo, Bhat listing.
The cancer is removed, the breast stays. The operation and the radiotherapy that follows are one treatment, planned together from the start.
For many years the standard answer to breast cancer was to remove the whole breast. That changed when long-running trials compared the two approaches directly. Women who had the lump removed with a clear edge and then had radiotherapy to the breast lived as long as women who had a mastectomy. Today most women with an early breast cancer are offered the choice, and many choose to keep the breast.
Two conditions make conservation safe. The first is a clear margin: the tissue that comes out must have a rim of normal breast all round the tumour, confirmed under the microscope. The second is radiotherapy to the rest of the breast, which deals with any microscopic disease left in the breast tissue. Take away either, and conservation is no longer as safe as mastectomy.
The armpit is dealt with in the same operation. Usually that means a sentinel node biopsy: the first one or few lymph nodes that drain the breast are removed and examined, and the rest are left alone if they are clear.
The question is not how big the tumour is on its own. It is how big it is against the breast it sits in. A lump that leaves a good shape in a larger breast may leave a noticeable dent in a smaller one. Where that is the concern, oncoplastic reshaping often keeps conservation possible.
Conservation is harder to offer, and removing the breast is usually the safer route, in these situations:
None of these is decided alone. The scans, the biopsy and your own wishes are discussed at the tumour board, and the plan is explained to you before it is fixed. Where mastectomy is advised, the reasons are given openly, and the mastectomy page sets out what that operation involves.
Neither column is the right answer on its own. The choice is made with you, once the reports are in.
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
| Breast conservation | Mastectomy | |
|---|---|---|
| Breast kept | Yes | No, unless reconstructed |
| Long-term survival, early cancer | Same | Same |
| Radiotherapy after surgery | Almost always | Sometimes |
| Size of the operation | Smaller | Larger |
| Hospital stay and recovery | Shorter | Longer |
| Chance of a second operation for margins | Small but real | Very low |
| Feeling in the breast skin | Largely kept | Mostly lost |
| Follow-up imaging of the breast | Yearly mammogram of the treated breast | Examination of the chest wall |
Some women weigh the daily radiotherapy visits against a larger operation; others weigh the small chance of a second operation against keeping the breast. Both ways of thinking are reasonable, and the decision is yours to make with the facts in front of you.
A margin is the rim of normal tissue around the tumour. The report says whether cancer cells reach the cut edge. If they do, a little more tissue is taken.
The removed tissue goes to histopathology, where it is cut and examined under the microscope. The report describes the type and grade of the cancer, its size, whether the lymph nodes are involved, the hormone receptor and HER2 status, and whether each edge of the specimen is clear.
If cancer cells reach an edge, a second, smaller operation removes more tissue from that side. This happens in a minority of women, and it does not mean the first operation failed: microscopic disease cannot always be seen or felt at the time. In most of them the breast is still kept. If the margin cannot be cleared after a second attempt, mastectomy is then discussed.
The same report decides what treatment follows. That is why no plan for chemotherapy, hormone therapy or radiotherapy is final until it is in hand.
Radiotherapy to the remaining breast is part of the treatment, not an optional extra. It begins after the wound has healed, or after chemotherapy where chemotherapy is given.
Radiotherapy is given on weekdays over a course of a few weeks. Each session takes a short time and does not hurt. Common effects are tiredness and skin that reddens like sunburn towards the end of the course and settles afterwards. Over the following months the breast may become a little firmer and smaller.
In older women with small, low-risk tumours that respond to hormones, a shorter course, or occasionally hormone therapy alone, may be discussed. The radiation oncologist sees you before surgery so that the plan is joined up from the start.
For some tumours, chemotherapy or hormone therapy is given first. If the tumour shrinks well, a breast that would have needed removing can often be kept.
This route is used more and more for tumours that are large against the breast, and for types that respond strongly to chemotherapy, such as HER2-positive and triple-negative cancers. Before treatment starts, a marker clip is placed in the tumour so that its position is not lost if it shrinks away on the scans. The operation then removes the area where the tumour was.
Whether surgery or medicine comes first is decided at the tumour board, with medical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology and pathology together. The breast cancer surgery page explains how that order is chosen.
Breast conservation is a smaller operation than mastectomy, and most women go home within a short stay. There is soreness rather than sharp pain, and simple tablets handle it. A soft, supportive bra worn day and night for the first weeks helps a great deal.
Bruising and mild swelling settle over the following weeks. If the armpit nodes were removed, shoulder exercises start early and are shown to you before you go home; keeping the shoulder moving is the single thing that prevents a stiff arm later. Desk work and short drives come back first; heavy lifting and gym work wait until the wound has fully healed and you are cleared at follow-up.
The risks are discussed before consent: bruising or a collection of blood or fluid under the wound, infection, a change in the shape of the breast, numbness under the arm after node surgery, and the chance of a second operation for margins. Arm swelling is uncommon after sentinel node biopsy and more likely after a full axillary clearance.
Yes, for most early breast cancers. Large trials have shown that breast conservation followed by radiotherapy gives the same long-term survival as mastectomy, provided the edges of the removed tissue are clear.
The lump is taken with a rim of normal tissue around it. How much that is depends on the size and position of the tumour. The aim is a clear edge with as little loss of breast tissue as can be managed safely.
The report may show tumour cells close to the cut edge. A second, smaller operation then removes a little more tissue from that side. It is not a setback; it is part of getting the margin right, and the breast is usually still kept.
There is usually some change in shape or size. Where a larger piece has to come out, the remaining tissue is moved to fill the gap in the same sitting so the breast stays even. Dr Swapnil Sharma does this reshaping himself.
Almost always, yes. Radiotherapy to the rest of the breast is what makes conservation as safe as mastectomy. It starts once the wound has healed, or after chemotherapy if chemotherapy is planned.
Sometimes. Where the tumour is large against the breast, chemotherapy or hormone therapy before surgery can shrink it enough for the breast to be kept. This is decided at the tumour board, before any operation is fixed.
At Apollo Hospital International Ltd, Bhat, Gandhinagar. Consultations are held there as well. Call +91 63555 64601 to fix a time.
The other parts of the breast service each have their own page.
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Breast cancer surgery in Ahmedabad | The whole breast service in one place: the operations, the order of treatment, and recovery. |
| Mastectomy: simple and modified radical | Removing the whole breast, with or without the armpit nodes. |
| Sentinel node biopsy and axillary surgery | How the armpit nodes are checked, and when more of them need to come out. |
| Oncoplastic surgery and reconstruction | Reshaping or rebuilding the breast, at the same sitting or later. |
| Robotic-assisted mastectomy: who it suits | A hidden-scar nipple-sparing mastectomy for a small group of selected women. |
| Breast lump: when it needs checking | Most lumps are not cancer. How a lump is assessed, and when to see a surgeon. |
Apollo Hospital International Ltd, Bhat — consultation and surgery
Plot No. 1A, GIDC Bhat, Industrial Estate, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382428
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Phone: +91 63555 64601 · WhatsApp
Last updated: 3 October 2026. Reviewed by Dr Swapnil Sharma, MS, FMAS, DrNB (Surgical Oncology), Consultant Surgical Oncologist.
This page is for information. It is not a substitute for an examination and a personal opinion.
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