Characteristics of total patients.

PurposeTo analyze and compare the survival rates of recurrent breast cancer patients in Korea between two periods (period I: 2000–2007; period II: 2008–2013) and to identify the factors associated with outcomes and changes over time in the duration of survival after recurrence.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 2,407 patients who had recurrent breast cancer with treated between January 2000 and December 2013 and divided them into two periods according to the year of recurrence. We reviewed the age at diagnosis, clinical manifestations, pathology report, surgical methods, types of adjuvant treatment, type of recurrence, and follow-up period.ResultsThe median follow-up was 30.6 months (range, 0–223.4) from the time of relapse, and the median survival time was 42.3 months. Survival after recurrence (SAR) significantly improved from 38.0 months in period I to 49.7 months in period II (p ConclusionThe survival outcomes of Korean patients with breast cancer after the first recurrence have improved in Korea. Such improvements may be attributed to advances in treatment.