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. 1983 May;138(5):676–680.

Irradiation as an Alternative to Mastectomy for Early Breast Cancer—An Important Consideration Because of Changes in Laws

Alvaro Martinez, Daniel Clarke
PMCID: PMC1010786  PMID: 6880183

Abstract

Between May 1973 and December 1980 there were 76 patients (78 breasts) with clinical stage I or II breast carcinoma treated by biopsy and definitive radiotherapy at Stanford University Medical Center. Local-regional control has been achieved thus far in 76 of 78 cases (97 percent) with a median follow-up time of 26 months. Transient lymphedema of the breast, arm edema and breast fibrosis were the most commonly noted complications. The cosmetic result was analyzed and scored as excellent in 78 percent, satisfactory in 18 percent and unsatisfactory in 4 percent. The three unsatisfactory results occurred in patients in whom severe fibrosis developed as a result of suboptimal radiation techniques. Interdisciplinary cooperation among surgical, medical and radiation oncologists is important. The 97 percent local-regional control and the 96 percent excellent-to-satisfactory results support the use of primary radiotherapy in early stage breast carcinoma.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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