Risk Factors for Breast Cancer Recurrence and Systemic Disease

Local and regional breast cancer recurrences are thought to be harbingers of distant disease. To study this potential association further, investigators analyzed data from 2784 women (median age, 53) with early-stage breast cancer who underwent quadrantectomy and whole-breast radiation therapy at the European Institute of Oncology. Investigators sought to identify factors that predisposed patients to local recurrences, regional recurrences, and distant metastases or death, and whether local and regional recurrences were associated with systemic disease spread.

Five-year cumulative incidences of local recurrences, regional recurrences, and distant metastases or death (as first events) were 1.1%, 1.2%, and 7.6%, respectively (median follow-up,…