[The problem of the treatment of the operable breast cancer (author's transl)].

Breast cancer is a chronic disease, often generalized at the time of diagnosis. Present treatments are efficient only if the tumor is still localized so that results are relatively disappointing. Careful clinical appraisal will define the chances of a disabling treatment and the limits of a curative treatment. Systematic histologic study of axillary nodes completes the clinical examination, is a reliable measure of the risk of dissemination at the time of treatment and indicates the necessity for complementary chemotherapy. The main choices of treatment for initial stages are presented. Radical mastectomy, according to the literature appears best as it adds a precise diagnosis to a safe result. Mastectomy without resection of the pectoralis major is a cosmetic alternative with statistical and experimental soundness. Complementary prophylactic irradiation for radical mastectomy should be reserved for high risk of local recurrence and for control of metastases to the internal mammary nodes.