mastectomy

American  

[ma-stek-tuh-mee] / mæˈstɛk tə mi /

noun

Surgery.

plural

mastectomies

1. the operation of removing all or part of the breast or mamma.

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mastectomy British  

/ mæˈstɛktəmɪ /

noun

1. the surgical removal of a breast

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mastectomy Scientific  

/ mă-stĕk′tə-mē /

1. Surgical removal of all or part of a breast, performed as a treatment for cancer.

2. ◆ A radical mastectomy includes excision of the underlying pectoral muscles and regional lymph nodes.

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mastectomy Cultural  

1. The surgical removal of a breast.

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Other Word Forms

• postmastectomy adjective

Etymology

Origin of mastectomy

First recorded in 1920–25; mast- + -ectomy

Example Sentences

Then, in 2024, Munn revealed she had been diagnosed the previous year with an aggressive form of breast cancer and had undergone multiple surgeries and a double mastectomy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

O'Riordan previously worked at Ipswich Hospital and was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 at the age of 40 and underwent a mastectomy.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

A jury last month found that a psychologist and surgeon had committed malpractice over a double mastectomy performed on a 16-year-old without adequate consent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

US actor Angelina Jolie revealed her double mastectomy scars in a photo shoot for Time France, in the magazine's first French edition that launched this week.

From Barron's • Dec. 15, 2025

Just as we ended drive-through deliveries of babies last year, we must now end the dangerous and demeaning practice of forcing women home from the hospital only hours after a mastectomy.

From State of the Union Address by Clinton, William Jefferson