LRF after mastectomy is a substantial clinical problem, despite the use of chemotherapy with or without tamoxifen. Prospective randomized trials will be necessary to estimate accurately the potential disease-free and overall survival benefits of postmastectomy radiotherapy for patients in particular prognostic subgroups treated with presently used and future systemic therapy regimens.

MR imaging allows detection of mammographically and clinically occult foci of carcinoma in patients with suspected breast cancer.

The results from the present study demonstrate high rates of overall survival, cause-specific survival, and freedom from distant metastases following the treatment of DCIS of the breast using breast-conserving surgery and definitive breast irradiation. These results support the use of breast-conserving surgery and definitive breast irradiation for the treatment of DCIS of the breast.

Background Randomized clinical trials (RCT) have demonstrated equivalent survival for breast conserving therapy with radiation (BCT) and mastectomy for early stage breast cancer. We studied a large, population-based series of women who underwent BCT or M to observe whether outcomes of RCT were achieved in the general population, and whether survival differed by surgery type when stratified by age and hormone receptor (HR) status. Methods We obtained information regarding all women diagnosed in the state of California with stage I or II breast cancer between 1990 and 2004, treated with either BCT or mastectomy and followed for vital status through December 2009. We used Cox proportional hazards modeling to compare overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) between BCT and mastectomy groups. Analyses were stratified by age group (<50 years and ≥50 years) and tumor hormone receptor (HR) status. Results 112,154 women fulfilled eligibility criteria. Women undergoing BCT had improved OS and DSS when compared to women with mastectomy (adjusted HR for OS entire cohort 0.81, 95% CI 0.80 – 0.83). The DSS benefit with BCT compared to mastectomy was greater among women age≥50 with HR-positive disease (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.82–0.91) than among women age<50 with HR-negative disease (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79–0.98); however, this trend was seen among all subgroups analyzed. Conclusion Among patients with early stage breast cancer, BCT was associated with improved DSS. These data provide confidence that BCT remains an effective alternative to mastectomy for early stage disease regardless of age or HR status.

Multidisciplinary guidelines for management of invasive breast carcinoma from the American College of Radiology, the American College of Surgeons, the College of American Pathology, and the Society of Surgical Oncology have been updated to reflect the continuing advances in the diagnosis and treatment of invasive breast cancer. The guidelines provide a framework for clinical decision‐making for patients with invasive breast carcinoma based on review of relevant literature and include information on patient selection and evaluation, technical aspects of surgical treatment, techniques of irradiation, and follow‐up care.