Additional Cavity Shaving During Lumpectomy Reduces Positive Margin Rate

However, with this technique, the absolute rate remains high, and removal of excess healthy tissue is required.

The need for second surgeries to clear margins after partial mastectomy has been reported to be as high as 20% to 40%, and technical methods for reducing this rate is an area of active study.

To determine the effect of removing additional tissue around the cavity left after lumpectomy, investigators conducted a prospective randomized, controlled trial in which 235 women (median age, 61) with stage 0 to 3 breast cancer underwent additional shaving of cavity margins or standard partial mastectomy with no additional shaving. Positive margins were recorded for patients with invasive breast cancer when the tumor touched the ink and for patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) when the tumor was <1 mm from the edge of the specimen. The median…

Reviewing Author

Henry Mark Kuerer, MD, PhD, FACS

Disclosures

Speaker's BureauPhysicians’ Education Resource, LLC

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill Professional; UpToDate, Inc.

Editorial BoardsAnnals of Surgical Oncology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Breast Surgeons (Chair, Publications Committee)