Metastatic breast cancer after delayed deep inferior epigastric perforator flap reconstruction

Locoregional breast cancer recurrence is a relatively rare event, occurring more frequently in patients diagnosed with more advanced stages of cancer and those with inflammatory features. While typical signs of recurrence after reconstruction include the development of a mass in the native skin or deep chest wall, oncologic relapse may also rarely be heralded by subtle cutaneous changes. This article describes a patient with inflammatory breast cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy, mastectomy, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy followed by delayed reconstruction with a deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap and subsequently presented with a recurrence manifest as a localized rash over the upper abdomen. Surgeons who perform breast reconstruction should be attuned to both common and uncommon recurrence symptoms, as they may be the first to diagnose recrudescent disease.