Lumpectomy Recurrence

IMAGING FINDINGS:

Mammography shows an irregular isodense mass adjacent to the prior lumpectomy scar. Ultrasound evaluation of the right breast shows surgical scarring at the 10:30 position an an irregular hypoechoic mass at the 9:00 position.

WHY IT MATTERS:

1. Breast cancer recurrence peaks between 2 – 7 years after initial diagnosis and treatment.
2. Mammographic findings concerning for recurrence include:

​                   a.  A new mass or developing asymmetry separate from the surgical scar
                   b.  Increasing density at the lumpectomy site
                   c.  New or increasing calcifications at the lumpectomy site

FURTHER READING:
The Postconservation Breast: Part 2, Imaging Findings of Tumor Recurrence and Other Long-Term Sequelae (AJR, 2012)