Local-Regional Recurrence After Breast-Conservation Treatment or Mastectomy

Local recurrence after breast-conservation treatment is most often detected by breast imaging followed by a biopsy for histopathological confirmation. Patients with invasive local recurrence should also undergo a staging workup, mostly by a positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT), to eliminate the possibility of systemic disease. Although mastectomy is the standard treatment, data are also available regarding a repeat breast-conservation approach with or without reirradiation with accelerated brachytherapy or intraoperative radiotherapy with a potential subsequent increased risk for local recurrence.