Conservative management of breast cancer

Between 1970 and 1982, 592 patients with T1 and small T2 breast cancers were treated at the Institut Gustave-Roussy by a combination of conservative surgery and radiotherapy. Mean follow-up was 78 months. The actuarial survival rate at 5 and 10 years was 92 per cent and 80 per cent respectively. There were 36 locoregional relapses of which 26 were within the treated breast. The actuarial relapse rate within the breast was 5 per cent at 5 years. If operable, a relapse within the breast did not significantly affect overall survival. The efficacy of conservative management of small breast tumours is confirmed.