Today, many breast cancer survivors are living fulfilling lives due to advances made in breast cancer treatments. Survivors know the importance of continued monitoring and screening for recurrence, as they look to increase their chances of survival.
Time Frame
The highest risk of breast cancer recurrence is during the first two years following treatment, according to the John Hopkins Medicine website. Breast cancer sufferers should be followed closely the first two years, or longer, depending on the stage of cancer and prognosis. The chance of recurrence is never zero, but the chances go down as time passes.
Risk Factors
According to MayoClinic.com, there are risk factors for recurrence in breast cancer survivors. Some risk factors include lymph node involvement, large tumor size, cancer cells located near edge of the tumor and age less than 60 at original diagnosis. Women with breast cancer under the age of 35 are at even greater risk for recurrence.
Types
According to MayoClinic.com, there are three types of recurrence: local, regional and distant. Local occurs in the same area of the primary tumor, regional means the cancer is in the lymph nodes, and distant, or metastatic, refers to the cancer reaching distant organs such as the bones, liver and lungs.
