Content:
A loco-regional recurrence is where breast cancer has returned in the same breast, the other breast or in the areas nearby (e.g. axilla or chest). This may be a recurrence of breast cancer or a new primary.
Loco-regional recurrence can appear in the following areas:
- The same place as the primary cancer or in the remaining breast tissue (if treated with breast-conserving surgery)
- The tissue of the chest wall or skin (if treated with mastectomy)
- The lymph nodes of the chest or axilla.
Symptoms of a local regional recurrence can include:
- A new lump or thickening in the breast
- Skin changes or inflammation in the breast
- Nipple discharge
- Nodules on or under the skin of the chest wall (post-mastectomy)
- A new area of thickening along or near the mastectomy scar
- A lump or swelling in the lymph nodes of the arm, axilla, collarbone or neck
Loco-regional recurrence can be treated in the following ways:
- Mastectomy (for patients treated with breast-conserving surgery or who have undergone breast reconstruction)
- Axillary node dissection to remove the affected lymph nodes
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Endocrine therapy
- Targeted therapy
