DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF RECURRENT BREAST-CANCER

A local/regional recurrence of breast cancer after BCT or mastectomy i s an infrequent event. Many of the factors which place patients at ris k for development of metastatic disease also lead to an increased risk for development of local/regional recurrence. A local recurrence afte r BCT is usually managed by completion mastectomy with good long-term survival. Regional recurrence after BCT and local/regional recurrence after mastectomy are associated with distant metastasis and relatively poor long-term survival. When planning treatment of a local/regional recurrence of a breast cancer, patient status and patient desires shou ld be considered in addition to the biological behavior of the tumor.