Isolated Chest Wall Recurrence after Mastectomy: Clinical Analysis of 101 Cases

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment methods and prognosis of chest wall recurrence(CWR) after mastectomy. Methods From 1995 to 2001, 101 patients with identified CWRs were observed at our hospital. Clinicopathologic factors were studied by univariate and multivariate analyses for survival after CWR. The median post-CWR follow-up time was more than 5 years. Results The median survival time after CWR was 53 months (ranging from 3 to 150 months), and the 5-year survival rate was 46.5 % (47/101). The residual recurrence after treatment of CWR was the best outcome predictor based on our univariate analysis. Other significant factors included the characteristics of the initial tumor (size, nodal status, and stage), radiation after mastectomy, time to CWR more than 20 months, and treatment methods for CWR (surgery or radiation). Multivariate analysis showed that the size of primary tumor<5 cm and time to CWR more than 20 months were also independent predictors. Conclusion CWR after mastectomy has a relatively good prognosis. The multi-treatment method may improve the survival after CWR.