Final Word? Breast surgeries yield same survival rate

Women with breast cancer who undergo partial-breast removal are just as likely to survive for at least 20 years as are women who have their entire breast removed, scientists in Italy and the United States report.

While many physicians have already accepted partial-breast removal as a safe approach for small tumors confined to the breast and nearby lymph nodes, so-called early-stage breast cancers, some still recommend mastectomy, removal of the entire breast.