Editorial

Radiation therapy following breast conservation surgery: Can it ever be avoided? Breast conservation surgery is now widely used. Randomized trials have clearly demonstrated that breast irradiation following such surgery reduces local breast recurrences [1-5]. Recurrence in the breast is often very disturbing for the patient and is usually managed by mastectomy. Consequently, radiation therapy following breast conservation surgery is frequently employed, and in North America, a significant proportion of radiation resources (up to 30 % in some centres) is devoted to breast irradiation. The paper by Liljegren et al. in this issue of Annals of Oncology attempts to identify a group of patients who may be spared breast irradiation post conservation sur