A quick guide to what's on this page

If your cancer comes back after treatment

Many women have no more problems after their original treatment for breast cancer. But sometimes breast cancer comes back.

If the cancer comes back in the same breast it is called local recurrence. It happens if a few cancer cells are left in the area when a breast cancer has been removed. You may notice a small pink or red lump called a nodule in the remaining breast tissue, or in the skin near the breast, or in the scar from the operation. A nodule is usually easy to treat. But it is important to report it to your doctor straight away.

The treatment for a local recurrence depends on the treatment you had initially. If you had a lumpectomy, you will probably need a mastectomy. If you had a mastectomy, your doctors will treat a recurrence by removing the tumour, if possible, and then giving radiotherapy (unless you already had radiotherapy to that area). In either case, you may have hormone therapy, chemotherapy, biological therapy (or a combination of these) afterwards.

The breast cancer is called a regional recurrence if it comes back in the chest muscles or in the lymph nodes in the chest or neck area. You may have surgery to remove the cancer cells and then radiotherapy or chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or biological therapy.

If the breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body this is called secondary breast cancer or metastatic breast cancer. We have information about treatments for secondary breast cancer.

You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the Treating breast cancer section.

Many women have no more problems after their original treatment for breast cancer. But sometimes breast cancer comes back.

If the breast cancer comes back in the same breast it is called a local recurrence. It happens if a few cancer cells are left in the area when a breast cancer has been removed. You may notice a small pink or red lump (called a 'nodule').

• In the breast tissue which remains after breast surgery


• In the skin near the breast


• In the scar from the operation.

• If you had a lumpectomy or other breast conservation surgery, you will probably have a mastectomy


• If you had a mastectomy, a recurrence will be treated by removing the tumour, if possible, and then radiotherapy


• In either case, you may have hormone therapy, chemotherapy, biological therapy (or a combination) afterwards.

• The chest (pectoral) muscles


• The internal mammary lymph nodes under the breastbone and between the ribs


• The supraclavicular nodes (above the collarbone)


• The lymph nodes surrounding the neck.