Understanding Breast Cancer Recurrence
- Baywatch star Nicole Eggert, 54, says that even after reaching a status of NED, no evidence of disease, she knows her breast cancer “could still come back,” and she’s learning to balance reducing her risk with still living her life.
- New guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) shift breast cancer follow-up from a one-size-fits-all approach to personalized, recurrence-risk-based surveillance.
- Higher-risk survivors may need more frequent visits and additional testing, while routine exams and mammograms remain important for everyone.
- Check out SurvivorNet’s AI-powered tool, My Health Questions, if you’re in need of clear, personalized information when you need it most. Available throughout the SurvivorNet website, this resource can help explain treatment options, clinical trials, possible side effects, insurance questions, and more—putting trusted guidance at your fingertips.
Eggert was diagnosed in 2023 with stage 2 invasive cribriform carcinoma — a rare, slow-growing type of breast cancer — and described her current status as NED (no evidence of disease) in December 2025—a term she’s deliberately framing as provisional rather than a definitive “cancer-free” declaration. However, she knows that even with every effort to lower her risk, there’s no guarantee the cancer won’t return.
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When asked what helps lift her spirits on a difficult day during cancer survivorship, Eggert said one of the best things she can do is simply leave the house.
“Get dressed, feel cute, and go outside, because it will distract you. Things will happen,” she explained.
Curbing the ‘Cycle of Overthinking’
Eggert also said staying busy helps keep her from getting caught in a cycle of overthinking.
“If I have nothing to do, which is not that often, but that’s, I think, when I start to feel my mind start—I start overthinking when I’m not busy, right? If there’s a down day,” she continued.
“I just have to get out. It’s like just go to the market and buy something, and it’ll lead to something else, and just go,” she added, sharing that browsing thrift stores is one of her favorite things to do.
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Eggert said getting outside and making an effort to feel good about herself can help shift her mindset when she’s struggling.
“Feel cute, get outside and just distract,” she advises.
She also admitted to relying on music to help her push through difficult moments, particularly when she’s heading to receive scan results. The scans Eggert gets done are to check for breast cancer recurrence since she is currently living with NED
New Breast Cancer Guidelines Recommend Surveillance Based On Recurrence Risk
New guidance from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on July 16, 2026, provides updated recommendations for monitoring breast cancer patients after they complete initial (adjuvant) treatment.
IT was developed by an ASCO Expert Panel led by Dr. Zeina Nahleh, Chair of the Department of Hematology-Oncology and Director of the Cleveland Clinic Florida Maroone Cancer Center, and Dr. Maryam Lustberg, Director of the Center for Breast Cancer at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center.
It emphasizes a personalized approach to follow-up care, recommending that screening and monitoring schedules be tailored to each patient’s individual risk of recurrence rather than following a one-size-fits-all protocol.
Key Takeaways From the Updated Guidelines:
- Routine monitoring remains important. Medical history reviews, physical exams, and mammograms continue to be key components of follow-up care after treatment.
- Some visits can happen virtually. Telehealth may be used for certain follow-up appointments, allowing patients to meet with their care team remotely when appropriate.
- Higher-risk patients may need closer monitoring. People with residual cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, inflammatory breast cancer, certain inherited gene mutations (such as BRCA1/2), or those on specific combination therapies may benefit from more frequent follow-up visits, in some cases every 3 to 6 months for up to 10 years.
- Additional testing should be used selectively. The updated guidance provides recommendations on when blood-based tests and imaging beyond routine mammograms may be appropriate, rather than suggesting these tests for every breast cancer survivor.
Dr. Nahleh said in a statement, “The goal of [the] risk-stratified approach is to better address the heterogeneity of patients’ needs and account for these differences. It also emphasizes utilizing resources more effectively in light of the workforce shortage in oncology and rising health care costs.”
What This Means for Patients
Your breast cancer follow-up plan should reflect your individual risk and circumstances, rather than follow a standard checklist.
Patients at higher risk of recurrence may need more frequent or more detailed monitoring, while those at lower risk may not require as many follow-up visits.
Expert Resources On Breast Cancer Recurrence
- How To Reduce the Risk Of A Breast Cancer Recurrence
- Preventing Early Breast Cancer Recurrence: Eli Lilly’s Head of Oncology On The Tremendous Potential Of CDK4/6 Inhibitors
- Keep Breast Cancer From Coming Back: You Have The Power To Help Define Your Future
- The Breast Cancer Dialogues: How Women Are Making Empowered Choices To Help Keep Cancer From Coming Back
- You Should Be Aware of These Signs of Breast Cancer
Be sure to speak with your oncologist about your recurrence risk and ask how it affects the follow-up schedule they recommend.
It’s important to note that these guidelines may change as new evidence emerges, with tools such as circulating tumor DNA blood tests still being studied for their ability to predict recurrence but not yet recommended for routine monitoring.
Updated Guideline: Breast Cancer Follow-Up & Surveillance
New recommendations feature a risk-based approach to care, offering virtual or in-person visits, routine mammography, & tailored surveillance for high-risk patients.
Read the updated guideline: https://t.co/2Mhx2NK9qT pic.twitter.com/RbKa529iWR
— ASCO (@ASCO) August 26, 2026
Eggert’s Ongoing Breast Cancer Treatment
When Eggert went public with her diagnosis in 2023, she shared that she had stage 2 cribriform carcinoma breast cancer. Early-stage breast cancer refers to cancer that is typically smaller in size and confined to the breast and surrounding tissue.
Her journey began after discovering a lump in her breast while performing a self-exam—a crucial tool for early detection of abnormalities.
Self-breast exams involve checking for swelling, changes in shape, or nipple irregularities, as well as signs of redness, rashes, or discharge. If any concerns arise, it’s essential to contact a doctor. However, these exams should always be done alongside regular mammograms for comprehensive screening.
Initially, Eggert dismissed her symptoms—terrible pain and rapid weight gain—as signs of menopause. But after discovering the lump, she underwent a mammogram and multiple biopsies, confirming her cancer diagnosis.
“I can definitely feel it. It’s there. It needs to be taken out,” Eggert told People Magazine in an earlier interview. “So it’s just a matter of, do I have to do treatment before the surgery, or can they perform the surgery and then I do the treatment after?”
While her treatment included a mastectomy (the removal of the entire breast during surgery), followed by a second mastectomy of the other breast and reconstruction, she also received radiation and chemotherapy. She’s still undergoing treatment with hopes of reaching remission.
In March 2026, she underwent a hysterectomy, a procedure that removes part or all of the uterus (or womb), often along with the cervix, according to the National Cancer Institute. Women who receive a diagnosis of uterine, ovarian, and cervical cancer may have their cancer treated with a hysterectomy.
Women may need a hysterectomy for a variety of reasons, and she and her doctor carefully review. Some examples may include endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain or vaginal bleeding, and uterine fibroids.
Eggert had the surgery after more cancer was discovered in her body. She didn’t specify exactly what signs were identified, but she did include the hashtag “uterine cancer” in a recent social media post.
The beloved actress also said she’s currently taking a few cancer medications as she continues to fight breast cancer, including Kisqali, Letrozole, and Zoladex.
RELATED: What Are CD4/CD6 Inhibitors? And How Can They Fight Advanced Breast Cancer?
Ribociclib (Kisqali) belongs to a class of medications known as kinase inhibitors, which block the actions of kinases, a type of protein in cells that play a key role in growth, metabolism, and cell repair. Inhibiting the kinase in cancer cells slows down the cancer from growing and spreading.
Letrozole is an aromatase inhibitor that blocks the aromatase enzyme, thereby preventing estrogen production. This helps slow down the growth of tumor cells sensitive to estrogen.
Zoladex (generic name: goserelin) is a type of endocrine (hormone) therapy.
WATCH: How The Drug Kisqali and Endocrine Therapy Work For Hard-To-Treat Breast Cancers
RELATED: How To Reduce the Risk Of A Breast Cancer Recurrence
Managing Recurrence Risk
“Once a patient has finished his or her active therapy for breast cancer, we will often refer to that time as breast cancer survivorship,” says Dr. Erica Mayer, a breast cancer medical oncologist at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
“This is a time when patients are still being actively monitored by their treatment team, not only to ensure that they remain healthy and cancer-free in the years ahead, but also to make sure that they have recovered from any side effects of their initial treatment, and that they are pursuing healthy behaviors for example, getting regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, and keeping up with all their other routine medical care.”
To reduce the chances of recurrence, patients are urged to:
Follow Your Treatment Guidelines.
“The best way to reduce your risk of recurrence with breast cancer is to follow treatment guidelines and complete the course of treatment that’s given,” says Dr. Elisa Port, a surgical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at Mount Sinai, to SurvivorNet.
“So the challenge is to work with every individual person to make sure we give her the best chance of getting through these treatments and enjoying the benefits of these treatments, which is the lowest rate of cancer coming back,” Port says.
Limit Alcohol.
Port says the other lifestyle factor that may increase one’s risk of breast cancer recurrence is heavy alcohol intake.
Eat a Healthy Diet and Exercise.
Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and medical advisor to SurvivorNet, notes that while exercise is well known for supporting weight loss, research shows it may also play a meaningful role in lowering breast cancer risk.
She explains that excess weight can create chronic inflammation in the body, and fat cells can produce estrogen — a hormone that, when present at high levels over a woman’s lifetime, can raise the likelihood of developing breast cancer.
Importantly, she emphasizes that physical activity doesn’t have to be extreme or strenuous to be beneficial. A light walk can also suffice.
“Exercise doesn’t have to mean suddenly training for a triathlon or doing something completely new,” Dr. Comen says.
For many patients, she adds, a cancer diagnosis can become a catalyst to prioritize their health and build sustainable habits that support their well‑being.
Maintain a Healthy Weight.
Dr. Sairah Ahmed, an associate professor in cancer medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, tells SurvivorNet that staying as physically strong as possible can make a meaningful difference for people preparing to start treatment.
“The more physically fit you are going through your cancer treatment, the fewer side effects you’ll have and the faster you’ll get back to your normal quality of life,” she explains.
She also stresses that well‑being isn’t just about the body. Emotional resilience plays a major role for both patients and the people supporting them.
“Stress control is often something that isn’t talked about enough, but there is a lot of stress — for the patient going through cancer and for the family who has to support them,” she says.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
If you have a breast cancer screening coming up or have recently had one, you may have questions you want answered. SurvivorNet’s proprietary AI tool “My Health Questions” is designed specifically for patients and caregivers.
WATCH: How One Cancer Survivor and Her Sister Used “My Health Questions” to Navigate Care
This powerful resource is embedded across the SurvivorNet website and delivers structured responses grounded in clinical guidelines and medically reviewed research to help people better understand their treatment options and feel more confident navigating care.
My Health Questions can also help patients prepare useful questions ahead of their next appointment.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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