Where Will a Breast Cancer Recurrence Happen After a Mastectomy?

After undergoing a mastectomy, there's only a few places that cancer could reappear, and thankfully most of them are easily identifiable. Overtop of the silicon implant sits a layer of chest muscle, AlloDerm or artificial skin, or just a layer of normal fatty tissue. A mastectomy removes all breast tissue which leaves little room for cancer to come back. If there is a recurrence, you should be able to easily feel or even see it. But don't forget to check the lymph nodes in your armpit as well. Even after having a lumpectomy or mastectomy, cancer can still recur in the lymph nodes. In the case of a recurrence, the lymph nodes can swell to the size of a golf ball, meaning self exams are very important. Your doctor can also perform a breast MRI to detect a recurrence. This targets local regional recurrence and catches more subtle cancers that aren't as easily detected during self exams. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE EXPERT INFORMATION AND BREAKING BREAST CANCER NEWS    / drjayharness   VISIT BREASTCANCERANSWERS.com FOR THE LATEST IN BREAKING BREAST CANCER NEWS http://www.breastcanceranswers.com/news SUBMIT A QUESTION http://www.breastcanceranswers.com/ DOWNLOAD DR. HARNESS' 15 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR DOCTOR http://www.breastcanceranswers.com/ CONNECT WITH US! Google+: http://bit.ly/16nhEnr Facebook:   / breastcanceranswers   Twitter:   / breastcancerdr