Radiotherapy after definitive surgery for breast cancer

(1) Radiotherapy after definitive surgery for breast cancer has not been proved to have a deleterious effect on patient survival. (2) The beneficial effect of radiation therapy is to decrease significantly local recurrences (P less than .001), which are very difficult to control once they develop. (3) In the hands of experienced radiotherapists, the incidence of complications is quite low. (4) Adjuvant chemotherapy effects on the prevention of local recurrence are most encouraging but still experimental and should at this stage be used mainly in study situations. (5) Until more detailed information is obtained, radiation therapy remains the most effective, least toxic method for the control of local disease.