Abstract
It is emphasized that, while early diagnosis does not necessarily guarantee lack of dissemination of the disease, prompt treatment is of great importance in many patients. Until it can be conclusively proven in a large series of entirely unselected patients that less comprehensive methods of treatment are superior, radical mastectomy in conjunction with postoperative radiotherapy must be considered the best treatment in early "operable" cases. The experience of Saskatchewan's centralized cancer program, which covers in a purely voluntary way almost all cancer occurring in the province from all strata of society and in which a clear, consistent treatment policy has been maintained, attests the validity of this contention. It is possible that more radical operations, again with radiotherapy, may be even more successful, but certainly, in the light of present evidence, patients who are not energetically managed are getting something less than the best.

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