Author Login

Correspondence to Author: Maha Abdel Hadi, Alia Alammari, Nour AlSwaimil, Shahad Alzahrani, Wala Al Saeed. 

Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

DOI: 10.52338/tejoc.2025.5161

Abstract:

Background: Despite major advancements in the management of breast cancer, disease relapse continues to pose great challenges in the management. Many attempts using a variety of investigational modalities were employed as predictive factors to anticipate relapse in a timely manner. This review aims to explore the most pertinent prognostic indicators potentiating disease relapse in a university setup.
Methods: This retrospective review was undertaken at King Fahad Hospital of the University, Al Khobar Saudi Arabia between the period of 2010 -2016.
All breast cancer patients diagnosed and treated during the above period were reviewed. A full 6- year follow up protocol was mandatory for the inclusion in this review.
Medical records, radiological, pathological, and surgical reports were reviewed in detail with along with patient’s demographics, tumor size, margin status, immuno-histo-pathological characteristics and the final surgical management, special emphasis placed on the regular outpatient flow-up and accurate documentation.
Results: The total number of patients was 179 diagnosed breast cancer patients out of which 117 fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the study. 42 (35.9%) were diagnosed with disease relapse.
Only three factors showed high relevance for relapse namely, younger a age ≤ 40 years old, tumor size >5 cm, and triple-negative disease.
Conclusion: Disease relapse remains a challenge in management of breast cancer. Identifying the potential prognostic and predictive indicators of relapse in a subset of women can better estimate the risk of relapse and promote successful treatment plans with better outcomes. Prospective studies with larger target population are encouraged to aid in accurately identifying and managing those with the potential risk.

Keywords: Breast cancer, Relapse, Prognostic indicators.

Citation:

Dr.Maha Abdel Hadi, Clinical Indicators of Breast Cancer Relapse: An Observational Review. The European Journal of Cancer 2025.