Treatment of early cancer of the breast: Histological staging and role of radiotherapy.

The clinical progress of 350 patients with early cancer of the breast was reviewed. In a five-year follow-up after simple mastectomy routine postoperative radiotherapy conferred no demonstrable benefit on those with histologically negative lymph-nodes. When the regional nodes were involved in the malignant process, radiotherapy led to an increased mortality in the early stages, but did reduce the incidence of local recurrence.