Surgery for early breast cancer

Optimal surgery for breast cancer demands effectiveness in local disease control, minimal physical and psychosocial morbidity, and efficient use of resources for assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. These issues are addressed below with particular emphasis on the biologic relevance of tumor recurrence for planning local treatment, the management of subclinical radiographic abnormalities, the degree of importance of the timing of surgery in the menstrual cycle, and the value of axillary dissection.