Delayed mastectomy after outpatient breast biopsy. Long-term survival study.

Forty-one patients who had outpatient biopsy and delayed mastectomy (most within 3 days) were subjected to long-term survival study. The ten year and longer survival studies revealed no deleterious effects from this procedure. The improved statistics were believed due to operation on lesions considered clinically benign, the short period of delay, and a low incidence of axillary metastasis.