Detection of local recurrence following breast-conserving treatment in young women with early breast cancer: optimization of long-term follow-up strategies.

The detection of a local recurrence (LR) in young women with breast cancer after breast-conserving treatment (BCT) was investigated to compare the impact of different long-term follow-up strategies. Between 1988 and 2005, 937 women aged ≤40 years were treated with BCT for early-stage breast cancer in the southern part of the Netherlands. Up to October 2009, 152 had developed an isolated LR. Information on follow-up visits was available for 124 of them. Fifty-four LRs (44%) were diagnosed within 5 years and 70 (56%) more than 5 years after BCT. Fifty-six LRs (45%) were detected during routine follow-up visits and 68 (55%) presented between two visits. Sixty-six LRs (53%) were diagnosed in patients reporting symptoms. In 31 patients (25%) the LR was found by mammography alone. About a quarter of the LRs was larger than 2 cm in diameter. These results imply that current follow-up strategies for young women with BCT do not guarantee a timely detection of LR.