Tumor Margins - Making The Diagnosis: Breast Cancer
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Tumor margins
The pathologist also looks at the margin of normal tissue around the removed cancerous tissue.
When removing cancer from a breast the surgeon's goal is to remove the entire cancer plus a narrow margin of healthy (clean) tissue in which no cancer cells can be seen microscopically. A clean margin helps reduce the chance of a recurrence of cancer in the breast.
If the pathologist notes that the margins contain cancer cells or that the margins are indeterminate, it means the cancer may not have been completely removed. The patient may require a re-excision (re-removal) of the tissue. If the specimen still shows cancer at the margins, it may indicate that the patient may need to undergo a mastectomy instead of a lumpectomy. It may also help determine the need for additional therapies after the removal, such as radiation treatments.
| Last updated: | April 23, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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