On this page, you’ll find an explanation of the most common terms in breast cancer.
If you have general questions that you don’t find the answer to, you can use our “Ask a Surgeon” section of our website to ask your question which can then be answered by a fellowship-trained board certified breast surgeon with authoritative and trustworthy information.
Dictionary of Breast Cancer Terminology
Breast Implants
A breast implant is a saline- or silicone-filled sac that is surgically placed beneath the skin and chest muscle to recreate the shape of a breast after mastectomy, or to enhance the size of the breast in cosmetic surgery.
Anesthesiologist
An anesthesiologist is a medical doctor who specializes in giving drugs to keep patients from feeling pain during surgery.
Anesthesia
Drugs given usually during a surgical procedure to keep patients from feeling pain during surgery. There are several types of anesthesia: local anesthesia (numbing medicine) is injected in the area of the surgical procedure; regional anesthesia usually numbs up a large region of the body such as the legs or lower abdomenl; and general anesthesia where the patient is usually completely asleep. Regional and general anesthesia is usually administered by an anesthesiologist. Local anesthesia is usually administered by the surgeon.
