[Carcinoma of the breast: introduction (author's transl)]

In the German Federal Republic, carcinoma of the breast and colon lie close together as the second und third most tumors. We owe to our surgical forefathers of 100 years ago, Dieffenbach, Rotter, and Halsted, the decisive therapeutic advance whereby as a result of a better understanding of the anatomy of lymphatic drainage, excision of axillary glands and pectoralis muscle was first undertaken. Neither increasing the extent of the operation (superradical excision) nor reducing it (enucleation, partial mastectomy) has so far with any certainly proved as effective as radical mastectomy. The prevalence of various operations used in the western world was ascertained from a survey of about 1000 surgical clinics. With less extensive operations (enucleation) there is the special danger that the understandable desire to strive for a cosmetic result may vitiate the chance of cure.