Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical, pathologic, and sonographic features of local recurrent phyllodes tumors of the breast and provide evidence for diagnosing tumor recurrence.
Methods: A total of 127 patients with phyllodes tumors who underwent surgery from 1993 to 2012 were followed. The clinical, pathologic, and sonographic features of local recurrent tumors were analyzed.
Results: Of the 127 patients, pathologic diagnoses were benign, borderline, and malignant in 75 (59.1%), 41 (32.3%), and 11 (8.7%) patients, respectively. The patients were followed for a mean duration ± SD of 50.9 ± 42.1 months (range, 2-225 months). Twenty-one patients had local recurrence, for a recurrence rate of 16.5%. The benign, borderline, and malignant recurrence rates were 14.7%, 17.1%, and 27.3%. The local recurrence in the 21 patients occurred after a mean interval of 19.4 ± 13.4 months. The mean times to local recurrence were 20.2 ± 12.1, 16.9 ± 10.8, and 20.3 ± 19.0 months for benign, borderline, and malignant tumors. The histologic characteristics of the recurrent tumors were similar to those of the initial tumors in 14 patients (66.7%), whereas the characteristics changed in 7 (33.3%). The sonographic features of the recurrent tumors were as follows: 69.4% were lobulated; 88.9% appeared as well-defined lesions; 41.7% had posterior acoustic enhancement; 11.1% had intramural cystic areas; and 83.4% had moderate or marked blood flow.
Conclusions: The recurrence rate for phyllodes tumors is high. One to 2 years after surgery is the key time for follow-up. The sonographic features contribute to recurrence diagnosis.
Keywords: breast; breast ultrasound; local recurrence; phyllodes tumor.
© 2015 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.