Early stage carcinoma of the female breast and axillary lymph node dissection

Stage I carcinoma of the female breast can be treated effectively by total mastectomy and post-operative radiation therapy to the chest wall and regional lymph nodes. Identification of positive axillary lymph nodes for prognostic purposes or for definition of patients who might benefit by adjuvant chemotherapy is not a requisite to the successful management of early stage carcinoma of the breast.