Recurrent breast cancer
The term recurrent breast cancer in medical imaging is given to recurrence of malignancy within the same breast at or close to the resection bed more than two years following surgical excision.
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Epidemiology
The rate of local recurrence may be as high as 19% in 10 years. The maximum for recurrence occurs ~4-6 years post treatment.
Pathology
Risk factors
Recognized risk factors include:
- close +/- positive margins at time of resection
- extensive intraductal components (EIC)
- inadequate adjuvant radiation therapy
- young age at initial presentation
- multicentric breast cancer
- multifocal breast cancer
Radiographic features
Mammography
On mammography, the appearance of recurrent breast cancers are generally thought to be mammographically similar to the original breast tumor 2.
Breast MRI
MRI offers an advantage over conventional methods in assessing recurrence. This can be seen in evaluating of tumor recurrence versus scarring where enhancement in the post-surgical scar should decrease substantially over the first 2 years. The presence of enhancement at the lumpectomy site after ~18 months since surgery is considered a concerning feature for recurrent breast cancer.
Related Radiopaedia articles
Breast imaging and pathology
- breast screening
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mammography
- breast imaging and the technologist
- forbidden (check) areas in mammography
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mammography views
- craniocaudal view
- mediolateral oblique view
- additional (supplementary) views
- true lateral view
- lateromedial oblique view
- late mediolateral view
- step oblique views
- spot view
- double spot compression view
- magnification view
- exaggerated craniocaudal (axillary) view
- cleavage view
- tangential views
- caudocranial view
- bullseye CC view
- rolled CC view
- elevated craniocaudal projection
- caudal cranial projection
- 20° oblique projection
- inferomedial superolateral oblique projection
- Eklund technique
- normal breast imaging examples
- digital breast tomosynthesis
- breast ultrasound
- breast ductography
- breast MRI
- breast morphology
- breast intervention
- breast pathology
- malignant lesions
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breast cancer
- breast adenocarcinoma
- ductal breast carcinoma
- ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
- invasive ductal carcinoma
- lobular breast carcinoma
- ductal breast carcinoma
- adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast
- apocrine carcinoma of the breast
- breast cancer metastases
- breast lymphoma
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- intracystic breast cancer
- male breast cancer
- malignant phyllodes tumor
- metastases to the breast
- metaplastic carcinoma the breast
- gamuts
- breast adenocarcinoma
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breast cancer
- borderline breast disease / high risk breast lesion
- benign lesions
- adenosis of the breast
- benign papillary lesions of the breast
- breast cyst
- breast hematoma
- breast hamartoma
- breast lipoma
- ductal adenoma of the breast
- epidermal inclusion cysts of the breast
- fat necrosis of the breast
- fibroadenoma
- granular cell tumor of the breast
- gynecomastia
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- mammary fibromatosis
- oil cyst
- phyllodes tumor
- post-surgical breast scar
- post-radiation breast changes
- post-traumatic fibrosis
- pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH)
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breast calcifications (approach)
- morphology
- distribution
- location
- lobular calcification within breast tissue
- intraductal calcification within breast tissue
- milk of calcium within a breast cyst
- vascular calcification in breast tissue
- skin (dermal) calcification in / around breast tissue
- suture calcification within breast tissue
- stromal calcification within breast tissue
- artifactual calcification from outside the breast
- suspicious breast calcifications
- infection/inflammation
- vascular lesions
- systemic disease
- gamuts
- classification systems
- malignant lesions
- breast cancer staging
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