Breast cancer patients younger than 35 years have a worse prognosis than older patients. This difference is only partially explained by a higher frequency of adverse pathologic factors seen in younger patients.

Pathologic margin status and the use of adjuvant systemic therapy are the most important factors associated with LR among patients treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation therapy.

Patients with negative margins of excision have a low rate of recurrence in the treated breast, whether the margin is > 1 mm or < or = 1 mm and whether the carcinoma is EIC-negative or EIC-positive. Among patients with positive margins, those with focally positive margins have a considerably lower risk of local recurrence than those with more than focally positive margins, and could be considered for breast-conserving therapy.