Resectable Localized Breast Cancer

Abstract

LOCAL treatment, whether surgical, radiotherapeutic, or a combination of both, only influences disease within the treated area and of course can have no effect on distant metastases already present. Many types of surgical procedures are now performed for the primary treatment of breast cancer, and the role of irradiation varies widely throughout the world. Successful treatment of breast cancer must be measured by survival as well as by local and regional control of the disease. Freedom from local-regional tumor is of great benefit to the patients. Since local-regional tumor is of common and predictable occurrence, with a known correlation with the clinical manifestations of the disease, individually tailored management is advisable for optimum control of tumor. Local and Regional Recurrences Supraclavicular Nodes.— Table 1 shows that supraclavicular recurrences occur in about 20% to 26% of cases in which radical mastectomy alone was performed in patients with axillary nodes positive for