[Surgical treatment of local recurrence after mastectomy]

This paper deals only with local recurrence of a mammary carcinoma, not with all locoregional recurrences. The surgical treatment of a true local recurrence depends on the freedom from metastases, on the type of the primary operation, whereas the localisation and the size of the recurrence are of minor importance. If no metastases can be found, the operative treatment of the recurrence is the method of choice leading to cure of part of the patient. Simple excision of the tumor is insufficient; the second operation must be radical. When a segmentectomy or a lumpectomy was performed as primary operation, the recurrence must be treated with a modified mastectomy. The status after modified mastectomy with or without primary reconstruction must be converted into a radical mastectomy. A local recurrence after radical mastectomy must be removed by chest wall resection.