LOCAL RECURRENCE AFTER BREAST-CONSERVATION TREATMENT - OUTCOME FOLLOWING SALVAGE MASTECTOMY

From a group of 448 breast cancer patients treated with conservative s urgery and radiation therapy, 45 (10%) who developed breast-only recur rence were reviewed. Of the 45 patients with isolated breast recurrenc e, 37 (84%) were suitable for salvage mastectomy and achieved a subseq uent 5-year survival rate of 51%. Isolated breast recurrence following conservative surgery and radiotherapy was associated with an increase d risk of distant metastases (P = 0.001) and showed a trend towards po orer survival (P = 0.17). No definitive prognostic factors influencing outcome after salvage mastectomy were identified.