Consult your doctor
Breast cancer can recur if initial treatment does not remove all cancer cells in the body. In most cases, the prognosis for recurrent breast cancer is not as poor as those with more advanced breast cancer.
Treatment
Recurring breast cancer is easily treatable for most patients. If the original cancer was treated with radiation therapy, other treatment options will be utilized.
Tests
If a recurrence is suspected, possible tests that will need to be done are a blood test, ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, chest x-ray, or bone scan. These tests will check to see if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Statistics
According to the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), 5 to 10 percent of women with recurrent breast cancer who were treated for invasive breast cancer will have distant metastases. This means the cancer has spread from the breast to other parts of the body.
Expert Insight
RSNA also states that 5 to 10 percent of women have recurring breast cancer that is too extensive to be operated on.
Prognosis
Most women with recurring breast cancer will not have distant metastases. When the relapse is only in the breast, the five-year cure rate is 60 to 75 percent.
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