Lumpectomy Side Effects and Warnings

Possible Complications

Complications are rare, but no procedure is completely free of risk. If you are planning to have a lumpectomy, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:

• Accumulation of blood in the wound
• Accumulation of clear fluid in the wound
• Infection
• Numbness of the nipple or underarm skin
• Change in the size and/or shape of the breast
• Blood clots
• Reaction to anesthesia

Some factors that may increase the risk of complications include:

• Obesity
• Poor nutrition
• Smoking
• Recent or long-term illness
• Use of certain medicines
• Characteristics of the tumor to be removed

Call Your Doctor

After arriving home, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

• Signs of infection, including fever and chills
• Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or discharge from the incision site
• If you have drains, report any problems that your doctor has discussed with you
• Oozing or discharge from nipples on either breast
• A lump, redness, or swelling in either breast
• If lymph nodes were removed: redness, warmth, swelling, stiffness, or hardness in the arm or hand
• Nausea and/or vomiting that you cannot control with the medicines you were given after surgery or that persist for more than two days after discharge from the hospital
• Pain that you cannot control with the medicines you have been given
• Cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain
• Depression
• New, unexplained symptoms

If you think you have an emergency, CALL 911.