Objective: To evaluate locoregional recurrence rate of breast cancer, determine its anatomoclinical characteristies and discuss the available therapeutic alternatives.
Patients and methods: A retrospective study including 41 patients with LRR following modified radical mastectomy or conservative surgery of invasive breast carcinoma without metastasis, between January 1993 and December 2002.
Results: 38 cases of LRR occurred after mastectomy and 3 cases after conservative surgery. LRR rate was 4.84%, mean follow-up 44.7 months. Mean age of patients was 45 years and LRR mean occurrence time-interval 22.4 months. Recurrence was parietal in 25 cases, mammary in 2 cases, and nodal in 14 cases. 18 patients had to be operated on.
Conclusion: Prognosis of breast cancer depends on distant metastasis. LRR constitutes the second major risk liable to influence the overall prognosis.