[Salvage radiotherapy of recurrent breast cancer]

During 1972-1986, 217 cases of breast cancer patients following radical mastectomy received postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy at Chiba Prefectural Cancer Center Hospital. All patients had operable tumor (T1-3), and radiation was directed to the chest wall and regional nodes. A total of 57 patients have relapsed. Fourteen patients experienced isolated local-regional recurrence (11 chest wall, 2 supraclavicular and 1 axilla), and other cases developed distant metastases. Of these, forty patients (70%) died with different metastatic areas within three years, although salvage radiotherapy was effective in controlling the local or metastatic tumor. Of ten patients who survived three years or longer were, six were bone metastaes and four were chest wall recurrence.