Editing Mastectomy (section)

===Breast cancer===
Despite the increased ability to offer breast conservation techniques to those with breast cancer, certain groups may be better served by traditional mastectomy procedures including:
* women who have already undergone radiation therapy to the affected breast
* women with 2 or more areas of cancer in the same breast that are too far apart to be removed through 1 surgical incision
* women whose initial lumpectomy along with (one or more) re-excisions has not completely removed the cancer
* women with certain serious connective tissue diseases such as scleroderma, which make them especially sensitive to the side effects of radiation therapy
* pregnant women who would require radiation while still pregnant (risking harm to the child)
* women with a tumor larger than {{convert|5|cm}} that doesn't shrink very much with neoadjuvant [[chemotherapy]]
* women with cancer that is large relative to their breast size
* women who have tested positive for a deleterious mutation on the [[BRCA1]] or [[BRCA2]] gene and opt for a [[preventive mastectomy]] since they are at high risk for the development of breast cancer.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />