Current surgical management of breast cancer.

Definitive treatment of breast cancer is surgical. Typically, the primary tumor is excised and axillary nodes are removed for staging. The decision on optimal treatment for the breast can be challenging for the clinician and the patient because of the wide variety of surgical options, including breast conserving surgery and mastectomy with or without immediate or delayed breast reconstruction. Surgical management of the axilla for clinically nodenegative and node-positive patients has progressed significantly over time. Sentinel node biopsy is now recommended for many clinical scenarios that would have previously required axillary node dissection. As optimal management of breast cancer is becoming more complex, many patients may benefit from early multidisciplinary review to aid in clinical decision making and to develop a patient specific treatment strategy. Current surgical management of breast cancer in British Columbia is based on consensus recommendations from the Breast Tumour Group of the BC Cancer Surgical Oncology Network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]