According to a new study, many breast cancer patients can skip aggressive lymph node surgery without increasing their chances for recurrence or death, if their disease shows limited spread.

The study involved women with cancer spread to only one or two nearby lymph nodes.

They fared just as well after five years whether they had many nodes removed or skipped the surgery entirely.

Removing many lymph nodes by surgery can cause arm swelling, stiffness, and pain.

The study appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.