This is why regular follow-up is essential after treatment for early breast cancer.
We don’t know why breast cancer comes back in some women but not in others. But some factors – like your age, genetic makeup, the aggressiveness of the tumour or how far the cancer has spread when diagnosed – can increase the risk of recurrence.
Doctors use the information in the pathology report to work out how likely it is that breast cancer will come back or spread to other parts of the body.
| Information in the pathology report | The breast cancer is less likely to come back or spread if: | The breast cancer is more likely to come back or spread if: |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Cancer is smaller than 2 cm | Cancer is larger than 2 cm |
| Lymph nodes in the armpit | No cancer cells in the lymph nodes | Cancer cells in the lymph nodes |
| Hormone receptors | Cancer cells have hormone receptors (and the woman takes hormonal therapy) | Cancer cells do not have hormone receptors |
| HER2 status | Cancer cells are HER2-negative | Cancer cells are HER2-positive |
| Grade | Grade of cancer is low (Grade 1) | Grade of cancer is high (Grade 3) |
| Surgical margin | Surgical margin is clear | Surgical margin is not clear |
Lifestyle factors
Maintaining wellbeing after treatment for breast cancer includes maintaining a healthy diet, and physical activity and exercise.
A healthy diet involves eating a wide variety of vegetables and fruit, limiting intake of saturated fats, and limiting alcohol consumption. Exercise has been shown to improve emotional wellbeing and reduce fatigue, even during radiotherapy or chemotherapy. [2][3]
