Recognizing malignant skin changes following breast cancer

Estimates are that 180,000 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in 1992. Breast conservation therapy is becoming the treatment of choice for many women. Physicians providing long-term care for these women must be aware of the cutaneous presentations of local metastatic or recurrent disease, including inflammatory, nodular, telangiectatic and scirrhous variants. In addition, radiation changes, as well as the development of a secondary malignancy at the site of previous radiation therapy, must be distinguished from metastatic breast lesions.