Early breast cancer diagnosis may avoid surgery

(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston) - A new federally funded study says many women with early breast cancer diagnoses do not need surgery.

The study involving nearly 900 women across the country, found who patients who had their lymph nodes removed did not have a higher survival rate than those who did not.

When the cancer has spread to any lymph nodes, doctors usually recommend that nodes in the armpit be removed surgically, to reduce the risk of a recurrence.

However, such removal is painful, and can lead to other complications