Local recurrence after breast conservation treatment: outcome following salvage mastectomy

From a group of 448 breast cancer patients treated with conservative surgery and radiation therapy, 45 (10%) who developed breast-only recurrence were reviewed. Of the 45 patients with isolated breast recurrence, 37 (84%) were suitable for salvage mastectomy and achieved a subsequent 5-year survival rate of 51 %. Isolated breast recurrence following conservative surgery and radiotherapy was associated with an increased risk of distant metastases (P = 0.001) and showed a trend towards poorer survival (P = 0.17). No definitive prognostic factors influencing outcome after salvage mastectomy were identified.