Indicators Of Breast Cancer Recurrence

Breast cancer recurrence can occur any time during the first three to five years after a patient has undergone an initial treatment for removing cancerous cells. In some cases, all the cancerous cells do not get removed from the treated breast. Some cells remain and spread to other parts, while in a few cases it comes back as a local recurrence even after a complete treatment is carried out. Cancerous cells appear near the mastectomy scar or can also occur somewhere else in the body. Lymph nodes, the bones, liver, or lungs are some of the common parts in the body where the breast cancer recurs.

The best way to detect the occurrence of breast cancer again is the continuation of self breast examination. Women who have undergone a surgery or any other treatment method for removal of cancerous breast cells should go for check ups of both the treated breast as well as the other breast every month.

Any changes in the appearance of the treated breast or other areas should be reported directly to a physician. Changes such as a lump or thickening near the treated breast or under the arms persisting through the menstrual cycle or an appearance of a marble-like area under the skin are some indicators of a breast cancer recurrence. If the cancerous cells do not get removed from the treated breast area then you might experience changes in the size, shape, and contours of the breast.

In some cases of the recurrence of cancerous cells in the breast, one can notice changes in the appearance of the nipple. The skin of the breast might become red, inflamed or swollen and scales may start appearing near the breast. Nipples might discharge bloody, clear fluid. Such changes are often the indicators of occurrence of cancerous cells in the breast.

A doctor might also predict a cancer occurrence in the treated woman patient after detecting her characteristics and her tumor. These are known as prognostic indicators. Women who have suffered from breast cancer that has spread to lymph nodes have greater chances of developing this deadly form of cancer again. Tumor size is another very common prognostic indicator. There is a higher probability of a women patient developing cancer again if she had a larger tumor size.

A physician also detects the nuclear grade for predicting a patient's chance of getting cancer again. The nuclear grade is the rate at which cancerous cells divide to form more cells. If the patient had cells with a higher nuclear grade then the odds of cancer cell growth is more in that person. Similarly, cancer cells that contain oncogenes also increase a person's chance of breast cancer recurrence.

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