CT evaluation of local and regional breast cancer recurrence

The accuracy of physical examination is compared with that of computed tomography (CT) of the chest in determining the extent of disease in 42 patients with local and/or regional recurrence of breast cancer. Of the 33 patients with clinical evidence of chest wall recurrence, 16 (49%) had areas of disease visible by CT that were clinically unsuspected. Similarly, in the nine patients who presented with supraclavicular and/or axillary recurrence, five (56%) had additional sites of involvement discovered on CT. Since many of these patients are treated with radiotherapy, the information gained by CT of the chest can be of great value in treatment planning.