Survival Rate

It's very important to realize that there is NO difference in overall survival if a woman undergoes mastectomy versus lumpectomy + radiation therapy - this is why we can offer women with relatively small breast cancers the option of breast conservation. It is still thought by many women that they will live longer if they undergo mastectomy, but this simply is not true.

With modern treatment, the risk of local recurrence (in the skin or chest wall) after mastectomy is approximately 1-3%. After lumpectomy and radiation therapy it is slightly higher, but with attention to obtaining clear margins, it can be less than 5%. It's very important to realize that there is NO difference in overall survival if a woman undergoes mastectomy versus lumpectomy + radiation therapy - this is why we can offer women with relatively small breast cancers the option of breast conservation. It is still thought by many women that they will live longer if they undergo mastectomy, but this simply is not true.

With modern treatment, the risk of local recurrence (in the skin or chest wall) after mastectomy is approximately 1-3%. After lumpectomy and radiation therapy it is slightly higher, but with attention to obtaining clear margins, it can be less than 5%.