Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Surgical removal of all or part of a breast, sometimes including excision of associated skin and regional lymph nodes, performed as a treatment for cancer.
  • noun A radical mastectomy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun surgery The surgical procedure to remove of all or part of a breast; mammectomy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun surgical removal of a breast to remove a malignant tumor

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From mastoid + -ectomy

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Examples

  • A mastectomy is when a woman’s breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue.

    Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act « Happy Healthy Hip Parenting 2009

  • In 500 BC, in her own court, Atossa self-prescribes the most primitive form of a mastectomy, which is performed by her Greek slave.

    The Emperor of All Maladies Siddhartha Mukherjee 2010

  • In 500 BC, in her own court, Atossa self-prescribes the most primitive form of a mastectomy, which is performed by her Greek slave.

    The Emperor of All Maladies Siddhartha Mukherjee 2010

  • In 500 BC, in her own court, Atossa self-prescribes the most primitive form of a mastectomy, which is performed by her Greek slave.

    The Emperor of All Maladies Siddhartha Mukherjee 2010

  • She had to have a mastectomy, which is not trivial surgery; it's not open-heart surgery, but it does require a large incision to be made, which is always dangerous.

    Boing Boing: October 19, 2003 - October 25, 2003 Archives 2003

  • So you decide to have a double mastectomy, which is a huge decision in the first place.

    CNN Transcript Jan 20, 2003 2003

  • Rancic also wants to send out a positive message to other women that instead of being something to be ashamed of, a mastectomy is a life-saving operation.

    ABC News: Top Stories 2011

  • The mastectomy is the most difficult part of the surgery.

    unknown title 2009

  • "Upon diagnosis, it usually requires a mastectomy, which is removal of the nipple and breast tissue."

    The Times-Journal: News 2009

  • "Upon diagnosis, it usually requires a mastectomy, which is removal of the nipple and breast tissue."

    The Times-Journal: News 2009

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