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Wide local excision
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<h2 id="wide-local-excision-of-the-breast">Wide local excision of the breast</h2> <p>A wide local excision of the <a href="/facts/Breast/UBvcKAjy">breast</a> aims to remove benign and malignant lesions while conserving the normal shape of the breast as much as possible. It is a form of <a href="/facts/Breast-conserving_surgery/0Mk5JKvD">breast-conserving surgery</a>. A WLE can only be used for lesions up to 4 cm in diameter, as removal of any larger lesions could leave a visibly dented area in the breast. The extent of excision is variable, ranging from <a href="/facts/Lumpectomy/wE4tPjkj">lumpectomy</a> to <a href="/facts/Quadrantectomy/jmPUvspn">quadrantectomy</a>. A larger excision would be categorised as a <a href="/facts/Mastectomy/hRAcK3at">mastectomy</a> instead.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Types of surgery for treating melanoma. MacMillan.org. Accessed April 11, 2012. <a href="http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertypes/Breast/Treatingbreastcancer/Surgery/Typesofsurgery.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertypes/Breast/Treatingbreastcancer/Surgery/Typesofsurgery.aspx</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Wide Local Excision. Livestrong.com. Accessed April 11, 2012. <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/wide-local-excision/" target="_blank">http://www.livestrong.com/wide-local-excision/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>