title: Local excision and radiation therapy for early stage breast cancer.
abstract: A reasonable alternative to mastectomy for women with early stage breast cancer is wide local excision of the lesion coupled with radical radiation therapy. The recurrence and longevity results with this method have been as good as, if not better, than standard mastectomy after 10 years' clinical experience in a limited number of patients. The physical and psychological impact of this therapy is more acceptable than mastectomy to the woman with breast cancer in its earliest stages.
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008722:Methods; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects