Abstract
Following a clinical trial in which the Halsted mastectomy was compared to the less invasive quadrantectomy, no differences were reported in terms of local recurrence, disease-free or overall survival between the two. As a result, Umberto Veronesi was the first in the world to state that the radical mastectomy appeared to involve unnecessary mutilation in patients with breast cancer of less than 2 cm and no palpable axillary nodes. To date, the Veronesi quadrantectomy is routinely considered for breast cancer treatment. This brief review, which highlights the main advances over the last 50 years, is dedicated to Professor Umberto Veronesi.