Nearly 70 Percent of Breast Cancer Patients Are Candidates for Lumpectomy

Recent research findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, (October 2002) stated that lumpectomy, followed by radiation therapy, was as effective as mastectomy in women with early stage breast cancer. The research involved two studies which followed two groups of women over a twenty year period. One group had undergone mastectomies and another group had undergone lumpectomies with follow-up radiation. The long-term survival rates were the same for both groups.

The new book, Understanding Lumpectomy, by oncology nurse, Rosalind Benedet, and Dr. Mark Rounsaville, radiation oncologist, is a quick-reference guide to understanding lumpectomy as a treatment option. "Too many women don't understand that lumpectomy is a possibility for them. It has a lot to do with the surgeon's training and preference. Many doctors are used to doing mastectomies." A recent study, cited in the journal, Cancer, (February 2002), says as many as half of breast cancer patients may not have all surgical options presented to them at the time of diagnosis. Lumpectomy, also known as "breast-conserving surgery," started becoming more popular in the 1980s.