Local recurrence after mastectomy for breast cancer: analysis of clinicopathological, biological and prognostic characteristics.

Background: Despite the increasing use of breast-conserving therapy, modified radical mastectomy retains an important role in primary as well as in salvage treatment of breast cancer. Nevertheless, a significant number of patients will eventually develop a local recurrence (LR).

Aims: To identify the potential prognostic factors at the time of the first isolated LR, and to compare the expression of several parameters of the molecular biology of breast carcinomas by primary tumors and paired isolated LRs.