LOCAL RECURRENCE
As mentioned before the cancer may recur due to cancer cells that are left in the body after surgery. A local or regional recurrence is a relapse of the breast cancer in the areas of the breast, axilla, skin or the chest wall and the surrounding lymph nodes. New lumps, thickening or rashes on the breast, axilla, chest wall or above the collarbone, shoulder pain and arm swelling or weakness are usually signs of local recurrence.
In about 10% of cases after breast conserving surgery and radiation the cancer may recur within the first 10 years and usually requires mastectomy which in most cases is the major curative treatment. There is a higher chance of recurrence when partial mastectomy is not followed by radiation and in these cases of recurrence radiotherapy will be proposed as a treatment following the mastectomy.
Local recurrence after mastectomy usually occurs on the chest wall and lymph nodes on the axilla, above the collar bone or the internal mammary nodes. Treatment includes surgical removal of the recurrence followed by radiotherapy if the patient did not have adjuvant radiotherapy previously. If the cancer recurs within the chest wall and involves surrounding organs, muscles and nerves then endocrine therapy and chemotherapy are most commonly used as the primary treatment.