Recurrences

A simple (local) recurrence is a new mass of the same kind of cells as the original cancer, located in the breast tissue or nearby muscle.  These most often occur within 3-5 years after the primary breast cancer is treated.  Life expectancy statistics are excellent for a simple recurrence; new lumps can be removed just as the primary tumor was.

A secondary recurrence is a new mass of a different kind of cancer cells than the original cancer, and can be located in any type of body tissue.  Secondary recurrences can be caused by the same processes which caused the original cancer, by hormone therapy (liver cancer), radiation therapy (new breast cancer, blood cancer, lung cancer), or chemotherapy (blood or bone cancer).  These cancers can take more than 10 years to grow to a noticeable size.  Prognosis and treatment for secondary cancers depend on what type of cancer it is.

Metastasized (distant) recurrence is a new mass of the same kind of cells as the original cancer, but located anyplace except in breast tissue.  Metastases can occur at any time, but may take up to 8 years before they are visible.  Unfortunately, there are no cures or reliable treatments for metastasized cancer.

Age is a factor in likelihood of recurrence; the older you are when diagnosed with breast cancer, the less likely you are to suffer a recurrence.  Also, post-menopausal women who have a lumpectomy, with or without radiation, rarely have a recurrence.

Other factors affecting the likelihood of a recurrence include tumor size (the larger the tumor, the greater likelihood of recurrence), tumor grade (higher grade means more chance of recurrence), lymph node involvement (cancer in nodes = higher recurrence risk), presence of hormone receptors (risk increases; progesterone receptors are a better indicator than estrogen receptors), HER2 receptors indicate a worse prognosis overall.

There is an increase in recurrence rates among those who refused radiation, but a simple recurrence is not life threatening and can be handled by another lumpectomy or a mastectomy at that point.