A lumpectomy is the medical term for removal of a lump. A lump is a growth or mass that can be on the surface of the skin, or under the skin. Some can be well encapsulated or invasive and attached to underlying structures.
Lumps can be benign or malignant. A biopsy will give the results of what type it is. If the lump is determined to be benign, treatment is limited to surgical removal, if it is determined malignant, removal of the lump is needed as well as additional medical treatment.
A small piece of the mass can be removed for biopsy or the whole mass can be removed and sent out for a biopsy. The outer margins of the tissue that has been excised should be evaluated microscopically to determine if the entire mass was successfully removed.
