Factors influencing local recurrence of cancer after partial mastectomy.

From 1957 to 1975, 291 patients underwent partial mastectomy for carcinoma of the breast. In a follow-up period of 6 to 25 years, 32 patients had local recurrences. These 32 were matched with 32 patients without local recurrence but who had had the same treatment during the same periods of time for the same clinical stage of disease. Comparisons were made for age of the patient, family history, size of tumor, proximity of tumor to line of resection, involvement of lymph nodes, and prophylactic radiation. The average age of the patients with recurrence was 7 years less than those without, and the incidence of nodal involvement was three times as high in those with local recurrence as in those without. These were the only factors that showed any significant difference between the two groups. When axillary dissection is done in patients treated by partial mastectomy, valuable information is obtained about the likelihood of local recurrence.