[ PRINT ] [ Printing FAQ ] About OncoLink Editorial Board Sponsors Help See Today's OncoTip Usage Statistics Virtual Classroom Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute "Confronting Cancer Through Art" is an exhibition by people whose lives have been touched by cancer. This week we are featuring artwork by: Jacqueline Kniewasser Pontypool, Ontario Visit the Children's Art Gallery This week's artwork was donated by a pediatric cancer patient who received treatment for cancer at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

OncoLink FAQ: Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy Last Revision Date: Sunday, 14-Feb-1999 13:54:28 EST Copyright © 1994-1999, The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania This is a response to a question about lumpectomy vs. mastectomy. Question: My mother who is 61 years old has a T1 (bordering on T2) breast cancer diagnosis which qualifies to be treated with a lumpectomy and radiation. What are the reasons for selecting a lumpectomy over a mastectomy? VB John Han-Chih Chang, MD and Kenneth Blank, MD, Editorial Assistants for Oncolink, respond: Thank you for your interest and question. Mastectomy and lumpectomy with the addition of definitive radiation therapy are both equally curative methods of approaching T1 (or even T2) breast cancer. Many studies have confirmed equal local control and survival rates with both treatment options. Cosmesis is the main reason why women have prefered lumpectomy and radiation over mastectomy. Reconstruction is possible after a mastectomy, but it may never be the same as having breast conservation with lumpectomy and radiation. The most important thing to remember is that whatever choice your mother makes, she will have the same excellent chance at cure with either treatment.

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