Patterns of recurrence of breast cancer following breast-conserving treatment

The pattern of recurrence following breast conservation has been studied. During the study period there were 59 ‘recurrences’, of which 39 were true local recurrences. Of these 39, only 1 occurred within the affected segment on a radius down to or away from the nipple compared with an expected number of 8 (P = 0.029). These data question the validity or the necessity of performing segmental excisions in patients undergoing breast conservative surgery.