Does treatment at the time of locoregional failure of breast cancer alter prognosis?

Locoregional recurrence (LRR) after therapy for early breast cancer is comm on. Patients with LRR can suffer local consequences such as bleeding, ulcer ation. pain and arm oedema or symptoms of metastases. Unlike existing treat ment guidelines for primary tumours, both local (surgical and radiation) an d systemic treatment recommendations are less well defined after LRR. The p urpose of this review was to assess whether or not treatment at the time of locoregional failure ultimately alters a patient's prognosis. Unfortunatel y, the data from both retrospective and prospective studies are inconclusiv e and therefore the treatment of patients with LRR will continue to be reco mmended using guidelines similar to those for primary breast cancer: Future studies of factors predicting LRR and metastatic spread may allow better p rognostication of patients with LRR which may in turn effect both local and systemic treatment decisions. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.