Breast imaging. A critical aspect of breast conserving treatment.

Breast imaging provides essential information for the selection and management of patients with early breast cancer who are treated by lumpectomy, irradiation, or both. In addition to its role in the detection and localization of early breast cancer, imaging is also important in the postoperative evaluation and in the long-term monitoring of these patients for the early detection of recurrence. The need for tailoring the examination at each stage and the significance of the findings for clinical and surgical management are discussed.