FOR PATIENTS · SOURCE READING

What are the chances that my breast cancer will return in the same area?

Source updated: December 2, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.

Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.

NCI patient treatment article for this disease Exact source article; not a clinically reviewed indication or current-standard recommendation.

Source table; cell spans preserved from the original.
Lumpectomy or other breast-conserving surgery	There is a chance that your cancer will come back in the same breast if you have a lumpectomy. But if it does, it is not likely to affect how long you live. About 5% to 10% of women (1 out of every 10 to 20) who have a lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy get cancer in the same breast within 12 years. If this happens, you can be effectively treated with a mastectomy.
Mastectomy	There is a chance that your cancer will return in the same breast that was removed. This is called a local recurrence. It can happen after a mastectomy because surgeons cannot remove every bit of breast tissue. Also, the cancer can come back in the chest muscle or chest wall.Local recurrence is slightly less likely after mastectomy than after lumpectomy. About 1 out of every 20 women who have a mastectomy will get cancer on the same side of their chest within 12 years.
Mastectomy with reconstruction	Your chances are the same as mastectomy because breast reconstruction surgery does not affect the chances of the cancer returning.

Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice