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Anon, here are some resources for you that explain various types of breast cancer surgeries, how invasive they are, and in some cases how doctors and patients go about deciding which to use. (It depends on the kind of breast cancer and the stage of breast cancer, in addition to your surgeon's advice and your preferences).

Where are you in the country? There are many outstanding cancer treatment hospitals and we could start by looking in the region where you live.

Here is the Mayo Clinic's page on their breast cancer treatment programs. They have clinics in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/breast-cancer/?mc_id=comlinkpilot&placement=bottom

Here is the National Cancer Institute's explanation of breast-sparing surgeries:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/breast-cancer-surgery-choices

Here is the Cancer Treatment Centers of America's page on their four types of surgeries:

http://www.cancercenter.com/breast-cancer/surgery.cfm

Here is the University of Texas M.D. Anderson's home page on breast cancer treatments; they have many links down the side:

http://www.mdanderson.org/care_centers/breastcenter/index.cfm

This might also be helpful: It is U.S. News & World Report's ranking of the best cancer hospitals nationwide (M.D. Anderson is ranked as No. 1):

http://www.usnews.com/directories/hospitals/index_html/specialty+IHQCANC/

Please let me know if this has been a help to you, and if there's more information you can give us.