[Therapy of carcinoma of the breast. Surgery. Present state of knowledge and problems (author's transl)].

For breast cancer of a limited size a tendency away from the radical Halsted-mastectomy can be noticed. A number of studies conducted during the last few years demonstrate that procedures less than radical mastectomy do not necessarily jeopardize the primary goal, namely maximal survival without recurrence. Lumpectomy, axillary staging and curative irradiation can be applied to small breast cancers without clinical evidence of diseased axillary nodes. The quality of the rather difficult radiation therapy and of the follow-up are of paramount importance.