Palliative Mastectomy Revisited

Couple of decades ago, Palliative Mastectomy for locally advanced breast cancers was common, if not frequent surgical procedure in the surgical armamentarium. The advent of better understanding of tumor biology and better multidisciplinary management has certainly narrowed down its role. However there are situations where it is still a potent option. In the subset of patients where palliative mastectomy is to be performed, it is important to aim for clear surgical margins, with good clearance at the third dimension, i.e. the tumor base. Surgeons with adequate experience of breast cancer surgeries should perform the procedure to achieve intended palliation.