Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation Precedes Early Locoregional Recurrence following Mastectomy in Low-Risk Early-Stage Breast Cancer: A Longitudinal Case Report.

Introduction: Early locoregional recurrence in low-risk early-stage breast cancer following mastectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy is a relatively infrequent event. Sufficient empirical evidence is sparse to support commonly accepted explanations relating to inflammation as a recurrence risk factor that precedes and likely promotes cancer recurrence evolution. Case Presentation: Dynamics of circulating tumor cells, tissue change, and low-grade inflammation were recorded in a representative breast cancer survivor follow-up case having relapsed 31 months after treatment completion. Prospective longitudinal testing was conducted based on a cell-based liquid biopsy platform supporting multi-rare cell marker analysis. The study provided evidence for the inflammation theory relating to epithelial tissue inflammation detectable at baseline, steady progression in marker abnormality, and chronic low-grade systemic inflammation appearing in cyclical patterns. Conclusion: Therefore, our observations of persistent inflammation prior to relapse provide deeper insights into pathology progression and contribute to emerging data to support the inflammation hypothesis.