The Journal of the Florida Medical Association
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As the population survives longer and longer, geriatric surgery has become a much more common consideration. Preoperative management of these patients requires a working knowledge of changes associated with aging and the physiology of surgery and anesthesia. Using this information, patients can be clinically evaluated effectively and plans can be made for their perioperative care in an effort to minimize complications.
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Conservative surgery and radiation therapy were used to treat 212 patients with AJC clinical Stage I or II breast carcinoma at the Baptist Hospital of Miami. All had lumpectomy and most axillary lymph node dissection, followed by breast irradiation to a dose of 45 Gy and a boost dose of 14 to 16 Gy to the surgical bed. Median follow-up was 55 months. ⋯ Eighty-six percent of the patients had excellent or good cosmetic results with minimal differences between the treated and untreated breasts. Treatment-related complications were minor and infrequent. These results appear comparable to retrospective reviews at major university centers and ongoing prospective randomized trials.