Breast cancer can come back after treatment. Sometimes, a few cancer cells will survive treatment and over time, these cells will grow enough to cause problems, i.e., recurrence. Breast cancer recurrence may occur in the breast or chest, but also in other areas, such as the bone and liver.
These symptoms that may indicate cancer recurrence
Common signs of breast cancer recurrence include the following:
- Producing the same symptoms as the first cancer, such as a breast or armpit lump
- A new lump or swelling anywhere in the body
- Bone pain or fracture
- New pain that is persistent
- Have breathing problems, or a new cough
- Persistent headache
- Yellowing of the eyes or skin
- Loss of energy
How can I know if the cancer has come back?
Whether breast cancer comes back depends on a number of factors, such as the size of the original tumor, how fast the tumor grew when the cancer was first detected, whether the cancer spread to the lymph nodes, and how well treatment worked. There is still no definitive way to predict whether the cancer will come back, and there is no reliable way to prevent it from coming back.
Doctors perform regular checkups to confirm that the cancer has not returned. The tests to check for recurrence may be the same as when the cancer was first diagnosed, and may include mammograms, CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission computed tomography (PET), and bone scans. Which tests are used depends on the suspected site of recurrence. Imaging can show the location of the cancer and the extent of recurrence.
In many cases, a biopsy is needed to know exactly what type of cancer is present, which may be a recurrence of breast cancer or a new cancer. Although uncommon, there is still the possibility of having two different types of cancer. The type of cancer that is present is critical in developing a treatment plan and in determining the outcome.
How do you treat a recurrence after it is found?
It is important to know if recurrent breast cancer is new. If it is the same cancer as the one you had before, your doctor will likely treat it in the same way. Treatment depends on the following factors:
- Size of the tumor
- Location of the tumor
- The type of treatment received previously
- How long ago was treatment received
- Overall health status
- Patient selection
Might be treated with:
- Surgery
- Radiotherapy
- chemotherapy
- Endocrine therapy
- Targeted therapy
- Clinical trials
The physician will discuss treatment decisions with the patient. The doctor will also inform the goals of the treatment and what outcomes can be expected.
How do you deal with relapse?
A recurrence of breast cancer can sometimes be harder to accept than a first breast cancer diagnosis. Doing what you can and having the cancer go away, but then having to go through the process again, can feel like an injustice to many. Patients may think that the treatment they received last time was wrong, or that maybe they did something wrong, or they may feel angry at their doctors, or they may think they can’t go through the pain all over again. All of these feelings are normal.
Tell your doctor about your concerns to get the information and help you need to be able to cope with the relapse and continue. Remember: you know more than you did the first time, you are better prepared, you know what will happen next, and you know what questions to ask. Also, remember that cancer treatments are getting better all the time, and there may be new treatments that work better than the previous ones.