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Oncoplastic surgery removes the cancer and restores the shape of the breast in the same operation. It is carried out by Dr Swapnil Sharma, MBBS, MS, FMAS, DrNB (Surgical Oncology), Consultant Surgical Oncologist, at Apollo Hospital International Ltd, Bhat, Gandhinagar.
Oncoplastic surgery removes the cancer and rebuilds the shape in one sitting. Reconstruction builds a new breast shape after the breast is removed.
Both are performed here by the same surgeon who does the cancer operation. Neither is referred out. The wider picture sits on the breast cancer surgery page.
Removing a lump can leave a dent. Oncoplastic surgery moves the remaining breast tissue into that space, so the breast keeps an even shape.
This matters most when the piece to be removed is large against the breast. Without reshaping, the result can be a visible hollow or a nipple pulled to one side. With it, the breast stays even.
There is a second gain. Because the shape can be restored, a wider margin of normal tissue can be taken around the tumour. That lowers the chance of a second operation for margins. Reshaping and clearance pull in the same direction.
Where the breast is large, the other side may be reduced to match. That is planned with you, never assumed.
Where the whole breast has to go, a new shape can be built. There are two broad routes: an implant, or tissue taken from your own body.
| Implant | Your own tissue | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating time | Shorter | Longer |
| Second scar elsewhere | No | Yes, where tissue is taken |
| Feel | Firmer | Softer, more natural |
| Changes with weight | No | Yes, it ages with you |
| Usual hospital stay | 2 to 3 days | 4 to 6 days |
| May need replacing years later | Yes | No |
Radiotherapy changes this choice. Skin that has had radiotherapy tolerates an implant less well, so your own tissue is often the steadier answer there. This is worked out before surgery, with the radiation team.
Reconstruction can be done with the mastectomy or months afterwards. Both are offered here. The treatment you still need often decides which.
Immediate reconstruction means one anaesthetic, one recovery, and you do not wake without a shape. Delayed reconstruction means the cancer treatment is finished and settled before any reshaping begins.
Neither delays chemotherapy when it is planned properly. Where mastectomy is the operation, the reconstruction question is raised before surgery, not after, because the two are planned together.
Recovery after reshaping alone is close to recovery after breast conservation surgery: home in one to two days, light work in about two weeks.
Reconstruction using your own tissue asks more. Expect four to six days in hospital and about six weeks before you feel yourself again. The donor site, usually the lower abdomen or the back, is the part that takes longest to settle.
The final shape takes months to settle in every route. Judging the result at six weeks is too early.
It means the cancer operation and the reshaping are planned as one. The tumour is removed with a clear margin, and the remaining breast tissue is moved to fill the gap in the same sitting.
No. The cancer clearance is planned first and is never traded for appearance. Reshaping often allows a wider piece of tissue to be taken, because the shape can still be restored afterwards.
An implant gives a shorter operation and a faster recovery. Your own tissue gives a softer, more natural result that ages with you, at the cost of a longer operation and a second scar.
Both are offered. Doing it with the mastectomy means one anaesthetic and you wake with a shape. Doing it later lets you settle the cancer treatment first. Radiotherapy plans often decide the timing.
Sometimes. It depends on how far the tumour sits from the nipple and on what the scans show. Where it can be kept safely, it is kept.
No. Follow-up examination and scans work as usual after reconstruction. A recurrence is found the same way it would be without it.
At Apollo Hospital International Ltd, Bhat, Gandhinagar. Consultations are held there as well. Call +91 63555 64601 to fix a time.
Send your scans and biopsy report ahead, then call to fix a time.
Dr Swapnil Sharma — MBBS, MS, FMAS, DrNB (Surgical Oncology)
Consultant Surgical Oncologist
Consultations and surgery: Apollo Hospital International Ltd, Bhat, Gandhinagar
Appointments: +91 63555 64601 · WhatsApp
Last updated: 24 September 2026. Reviewed by Dr Swapnil Sharma, MBBS, 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.
