ABSTRACT
EVOLUTION IN SURGICAL MANAGEMENT FOR EARLY-STAGE BREAST CANCER
After undergoing a period of stagnation for the better part of the 20th century, the surgical management of breast cancer underwent significant evolution during the past 30 years as a result of profound changes in the biologic understanding and clinical presentation of the disease. The postulation of an alternative hypothesis of tumor dissemination challenged the previously accepted Halsteadian principles that had governed the surgical management of the disease until that time.1,2 This hypothesis was subsequently supported by results from randomized trials demonstrating that the extent of surgical resection did not have significant impact on patient outcome.3-9 Based on the results from these trials, the radical procedures developed at the turn of the 20th century were replaced by breast-conserving procedures such as lumpectomy and quadrantectomy.
