Breast-Cancer Management

The conclusions of the NIH consensus meeting on "The Treatment of Primary Breast Cancer" published in this issue of the Journal, deserve more consideration than mere acceptance or rejection depending on whether they support one's personal point of view. The report does not indicate the reasons for the conclusions, and they undoubtedly differed among the participants. I was a participant, and I should like to present my reasons for the recommendations and some personal thoughts about the meaning of the report.The recommendations that total mastectomy and axillary dissection should replace the Halsted radical mastectomy as the current treatment . . .