Lumpectomy procedures may be a healthier option for those with early stages of breast cancers, says a new study from researchers at Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, N.C. For the study Dr. Shelley Hwang and her team reviewed the health records from over 112,000 women in the early stages of breast cancer between 1990 and 2004.
They found that the women who underwent a lumpectomy were 13 less likely to die from breast cancer and 19 percent less likely to die of any cause then women who underwent mastectomy procedures.
"Lumpectomy is just as effective if not more effective than mastectomy. There are lots of women who think the more [treatment] they do, the better they will do. This refutes that," says Hwang.
"We wanted to look at early stage disease, and those patients typically don't get radiation after mastectomy," she said. "The group that benefited the most -- who had the biggest difference in breast cancer survival -- were those women over 50 with estrogen-receptor positive disease," Hwang adds.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.