title: Minimally invasive surgery in breast cancer treatment.
abstract: As genetic and biological treatment modalities are developed that can be custom-designed for individual patients, the possibility that breast cancer can be managed as a chronic long-term disease becomes more real, and the requirement for minimally invasive surgical intervention used as part of a multidisciplinary treatment approach becomes more pressing. Rather than fearing that they will be replaced, surgeons should enthusiastically move into this dynamic phase in the development of new surgical techniques for the treatment of breast cancer. This article will discuss such techniques in three evolving areas: 1) management of the axilla after neoadjuvant chemotherapy; 2) sentinel node dissection; and 3) radiofrequency ablation of primary tumors of the breast.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030-4095, USA. esinglet@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Singletary
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures