What is the medical term for the removal of a breast?

The medical term for the removal of a breast is mastectomy. This procedure typically involves the surgical removal of one or both breasts, usually as a treatment for breast cancer or as a preventive measure for individuals at high risk of developing the disease. Mastectomy can vary in extent, including total (or simple) mastectomy, which involves the complete removal of the breast tissue, and modified radical mastectomy, which involves removal of the breast tissue along with some of the surrounding lymph nodes.

Other surgical terms in context help clarify this. A lumpectomy refers to the excision of a tumor along with a small margin of surrounding tissue, generally preserving most of the breast, so it is not considered a full breast removal. A biopsy denotes a procedure to take a sample of tissue for diagnostic purposes, but it does not involve the removal of an entire breast. Resection is a broader term that can refer to the removal of tissue or an organ but does not specifically imply the removal of a breast. Thus, mastectomy is specifically defined and recognized for breast removal, making it the correct term in this context.