The Changing Paradigms for Breast Cancer Surgery: Performing Fewer and Less-Invasive Operations

Historically, through the conduct of prospective clinical trials, breast cancer surgeons have performed less radical breast and axillary surgeries with no survival decrement to our patients. Currently, other opportunities exist for the treating breast surgeon to do less. Possibilities include active surveillance for ductal carcinoma in situ, ablative therapy for small primary breast cancers, selective omission of a sentinel node biopsy, and selective elimination of breast surgery after neoadjuvant systemic therapy. Breast surgeons must be leaders in the development and testing of effective therapy with the least intervention possible.