One hundred and sixty-five intraductal, non invasive breast carcinomas in 162 patients were reviewed. The mean follow-up was 75 months. Recurrence rates seem to be influenced by the therapeutic approach: 4.8% following mastectomy (4 cases out of 83); 16% following breast conserving surgery associated with radiotherapy (4 cases of 25); 22.8% following subcutaneous mastectomy (8 cases out of 35); 50% following breast conserving surgery alone (11 cases out of 35). When considering the clinical and radiological sizes of the tumor in the group of tumor excision and breast irradiation, additional information is gained. When the size is less than 25 mm the recurrence rate drops to 6.6% (1 case out of 15). When the lesions are extensive a subcutaneous mastectomy followed by irradiation (with or without a breast implant) might be an interesting alternative to modified radical mastectomy.