Radiological Staging for Distant Metastases in Breast Cancer Patients with Confirmed Local and/or Locoregional Recurrence: How Useful are Current Guideline Recommendations?

Background: Breast cancer patients with local and/or locoregional recurrence (LR) are at higher risk of developing distant metastases (DM) at a later time. Once LR has been confirmed, some international interdisciplinary guidelines recommend performing radiological examinations for DM to determine the course of further therapy (curative or palliative approach). This study analyzed the metastatic patterns of patients with LR with particular regard to the frequency of concurrent diagnosis of LR and DM; in other words: are radiological staging procedures actually justified for DM at the time of diagnosis of LR?

Methods: This study included all patients (n = 1368) who were diagnosed and treated for nonmetastatic breast cancer (Stage I-III) at the University Women's Hospital Basel, Switzerland between 1990 and 2009.