RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the appropriate surgical treatment for breast ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-six such patients treated between 1992 and 2001 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 3 patients were treated by simple mastectomy, 23 patients by mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection, 8 patients by chemotherapy and one patient by radiotherapy after operation. Median follow-up was 42 m (rang 12 - 112 m).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Except 3 of these 26 patients lost in follow-up and 1 patient died from diabetes mellitus, all the other 22 patients survived over 5 years. All lymph nodes dissected from 23 patients were negative. After surgery, 3 patients developed lymph edema of the arm.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DCIS, lacking the potential of metastasis, is not invasive. Conservative breast surgery without lymph node dissection is feasible for most DCIS patients.</p>