[Effectiveness of radiation therapy following breast-preserving surgery in breast carcinoma]

Two patient groups submitted to different treatment schemes--with and without postoperative radiotherapy--were investigated in a retrospective study in order to find out the frequency of recurrences after conservative surgery in mammary carcinoma of the stages T1 and T2. Postoperative radiotherapy following to conservative surgery was found to be the most efficient method to prevent recurrences in patients presenting negative as well as positive axillary lymph node findings. During a follow-up period of 26 months, there was only one recurrence in 50 patients treated by conservative surgery and subsequent radiotherapy, whereas the recurrence rate of patients not irradiated after surgery was 23%.