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Caroline,
Hi. The term recurrence means that the same breast cancer has come back in a different place, whether locally (in the same breast, skin, etc.), or regionally (axilla). It's very unusual to have a primary breast cancer recur in the other breast. On the other hand, you can always get a primary cancer in that other breast and I assume that having your breast removed would reduce that likelihood by a great deal. You might want to review what your chances were of getting breast cancer in the first place (family history, age, genetic profile, etc.) and then add some negative points for having already had a cancer. Your doctor can help you do this. But you should be safe from a recurrence of the first cancer in the other breast. I don't know what the statistics are, but I believe they are very very low. If this is not accurate, and someone out there knows the correct story, please let us know.
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