Evidenced based care in surgery: surgical practice and avoidance of infection in breast surgery

The surgical treatment of breast cancer has been undergoing steady evolution for many years. The “classical” radical mastectomy of the early 20th century has been supplanted by conservative surgical procedures combined with localized radiotherapy and systemic hormonal or chemotherapy. In most countries, patients no longer stay in the hospital until drain tubes are removed, saving money and hospital resources. These shifts were occasioned by many clinical trials showing that survival and quality of life were not impaired or were even improved by less radical procedures and shorter hospitalizations.