Breast cancer as viewed by the family physician

Surgical bias has all but overlooked other modes of primary therapy for breast cancer in the United States. Excision and primary radiation give mortality and morbidity data similar to those for mastectomy. Women with early breast cancer should be offered a full choice of options. The author believes that if women were aware that they could retain their breasts, breast self-examination and mammography would be perceived as especially rewarding. This might make a significant contribution to early diagnosis and therefore to the mortality rate from breast cancer.