Does breast cancer require radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery?

Is radiotherapy required after breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer?

1. For breast cancer patients who undergo total mastectomy, there are two main indications for postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy. First, the primary tumor is large, with a long diameter of more than 5 cm. Second, postoperative pathological confirmation of ipsilateral axillary lymph node metastasis is an absolute indication for radiotherapy. Whether 1 to 3 lymph node metastases are treated with radiotherapy depends on other combined risks.

2. Most breast cancers require radiotherapy. Only a few patients, such as those over 70 years old, with good breast cancer types and early-stage patients, can be exempted from radiotherapy.

What happens if you have breast carcinoma in situ?

Early breast cancer may be carcinoma in situ, which is a pathological concept. After the patient discovers the disease, as long as she actively receives treatment, the possibility of cure is very high, and the harm to the patient herself is relatively small. It can be treated surgically, such as mastectomy and lymph node cleaning. Carcinoma in situ of the breast is a very early stage breast cancer.

After surgical resection, if the pathological results do not show high-risk recurrence or metastasis indicators, even postoperative chemotherapy cannot be performed. Breast carcinoma in situ refers to early breast cancer.