Abstract
Background Local recurrence (LR) after partial mastectomy (PM) has been associated with inadequate surgical margins. We assessed LR association with initial margins after PM in patients receiving postoperative radiation therapy (RT). Methods Initial margins, re-excision status, and ipsilateral LR were identified for all patients having initial PM from 2003 to 2008. Results Seven hundred twelve patients underwent PM as their final procedure, and 598 (84.0%) had adjuvant RT. Initial margins were positive or <1-mm margins in 166 patients (27.8%). Re-excision was performed for all positive and 20.2% of patients with margins <1 mm. We observed 10 LRs (1.7%) at the 3.4-year mean follow-up. For patients with initial margins <1 mm, the LR rate was 4.2% (7/167) and just .7% for margins ≥1 mm ( P = .006). Conclusions We report lower LR rates than traditionally reported. The surgical practice of re-excision to achieve margins of 1 to 5 mm needs closer scrutiny because it may have no impact on LR.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
