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CONSIDERATIONS OF COST AND EFFECTIVENESS IN THE CHOICE OF MASTECTOMY
Author(s) -
Black R. B.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.111
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 0004-8682
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1983.tb02485.x
Subject(s) - medicine , mastectomy , radiation therapy , breast cancer , node (physics) , sampling (signal processing) , surgery , general surgery , cancer , telecommunications , computer science , structural engineering , detector , engineering
Operable breast cancer may be managed equally well by a number of different regimens of mastectomy and/or radiotherapy. This paper examines the financial and morbidity costs, together with the node sampling efficacy, of three commonly employed techniques: simple mastectomy; total mastectomy with node biopsy or limited node excision; and modified radical mastectomy. Adjuvant radiotherapy (and/or chemotherapy) can only be applied rationally if node sampling is effective. Simple mastectomy cannot achieve this. Total mastectomy, providing that a node sample is obtained, is effective, and is probably the cheapest option. Total axillary clearance runs the risk of increased morbidity (and financial cost), while not necessarily guaranteeing more effective node sampling. Much of the cost and morbidity of mastectomy may be reduced by a limited but rational radiation policy.