[Long-term results of conservative surgery plus definitive radiotherapy for stage I, II breast cancer].

A series of 22 patients with Stage I and II breast cancer treated from March 1958 to December 1983 by conservative surgery plus definitive radiotherapy is presented. All patients had tumorectomy or segmental mastectomy with or without axillary dissection followed by radical radiotherapy to the breast, chest wall, axillary, supraclavicular and internal mammary chains. The relapse rate in the breast was 4.55%, axillary node 9% and distant sites 18.18%. The 5-, 10- and 15-year actuarial survival rates were 78.75%, 72.69% and 46.73%, respectively. The data presented show that conservative surgery plus definitive radiotherapy is as effective as the conventional radical mastectomy but with much better cosmetic results.