Breast-Conservative Surgery With and Without Radiotherapy in Patients Aged 55–75 Years With Early-Stage Breast Cancer: A Prospective, Randomized, Multicenter Trial Analysis After 108 Months of Median Follow-up

Objectives Breast-conserving therapy (BCT), including postoperative whole breast irradiation (WBI), is generally accepted as the treatment of choice for most patients with early-stage breast cancer. The question whether WBI is mandatory in all patients remains one of the most controversial issues in BCT. To answer this question, a randomized, prospective, multicentre study was launched in January 2001. Primary endpoints of the study were to assess the cumulative incidence of in-breast-recurrences (IBR) and overall survival (OAS) after conservative surgery (BCS) with or without WBI.