Objectives: There are limited data on the outcomes of patients treated with repeat lumpectomy at the time of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR). Especially, the impact of radiotherapy (RT) on a second IBTR is unknown.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 143 patients from 8 institutions in Japan who underwent repeat lumpectomy after IBTR. The risk factors of a second IBTR were assessed.
Results: The median follow-up period was 4.8 years. The 5-year second IBTR-free survival rate was 80.7 %. There was a significant difference in the second IBTR-free survival rate according to RT (p = 0.0003, log-rank test). The 5-year second IBTR-free survival rates for patients who received RT after initial surgery, RT after salvage surgery, and no RT were 78.0, 93.5, and 52.7 %, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that RT was a significantly independent predictive factor of second IBTR-free survival.
Conclusion: Repeat lumpectomy plus RT is a reasonable option in patients who did not undergo RT at the initial surgery. In contrast, caution is needed when RT is omitted in patients who have undergone repeat lumpectomy.