Understanding Breast Cancer Recurrence
Despite the best efforts of your healthcare team to remove all traces of your breast cancer tumor, the reality is that breast cancer can still recur. Early stage breast cancer can return months to years after the original diagnosis and treatment. The cancer can come back as a local recurrence (in the treated breast) or as a distant recurrence elsewhere in the body, such as the bones, lungs, liver, or other organs.
Many laboratory tests are performed on samples of the breast tumor taken during surgery to help doctors design a treatment plan based on the specific characteristics of the tumor. However, even with these tests, it can be difficult for doctors to precisely determine the aggressiveness of the tumor. This is where Oncotype DX® comes in. By providing a quantitative assessment of the likelihood of recurrence, Oncotype DX may increase confidence that the treatment plan is tailored to you.
For more comprehensive information about breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence we encourage you to talk to your doctor and healthcare team. You can also visit the informative websites found on our Helpful Links page.
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