Abstract: Objective: To summarize the expression of local relapse after early breast-conserving surgery and to analyze the role of whole-breast radiotherapy. Methods: From April 1990 to December 1995, 49 cases with early primary breast cancer were treated by breast-conserving surgery among which, 40 cases underwent quadrant-ectomy plus axillary lymph node dissection and the other 9 received lumpectomy alone. After surgical procedure, a whole-breast tangential irradiation plus tumor-bed radiotherapy was conducted in 39 patients with 6 MV X-ray. The dose for midplane of the whole breast was 45GY/22～23f/4.5W, then a 15-GY boost dose was delivered with tumor bed radiotherapy. Results: Recurrence occurred in 3 of the patients of this group within 10 years, all were non-invasive carcinoma, accounting for 6.12% (3/49). The local recurrence rate in the group without whole-breast radiotherapy after operation was higher compared with that in the group of whole-breast tangential irradiation plus tumor-bed radiotherapy (20.00% vs 2.56%). The local recurrence in the group of quadrant-ectomy plus axillary lymph node dissection was lower than that in the group receiving lumpectomy alone (2.5%vs22.22%). Recurrence in all the case were the recurrence in situ. Conclusion: Radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery is necessary. It should be feasible that radiotherapy with sufficient dose in neighboring area of the tumor should be feasible.