[The clinico-mammographic follow-up of breast cancer after conservative treatment].

Clinical and mammographic follow-up of 149 patients diagnosed of stage I and II breast neoplasm and treated with conservative surgery and irradiation between January 1986 and December 1988 was reviewed to determine clinical and radiographic recurrence pattern. Follow-up controls included a clinical examination and a mammogram at 6-9 months, a second at 10-16, a third at 17-22, a fourth at 23-24 and a mammogram yearly and a clinical examination every 6 months thereafter. To December 1991 18 patients recurred. 12 had a metastatic spread, 3 a unique local recurrence and 3 a local recurrence with a metastasis spread. Clinical recurrence was as a carcinomatous mastitis in three patients and a solid nodule in two. Radiologic recurrence was as an augmented skin thickness in three patients. Mammogram was not performed in one patient because an associated poor prognostic metastatic spread. Mammographic skin thickness secondary to irradiation appeared in 93% of the patients at 6-9 first control, 62% at second, 50% at third and 35% at fourth. The number of recurrences is scarce to achieve any clinical, pathological or treatment factor associated with greater risk of recurrence. We suggest that first mammogram should be delayed after 12 months of treatment because we would not obtain any relevant clinical information before, once observed skin thickness persistence at 6 months and most frequent recurrence radiologic pattern.