An Improved Process for Breast Cancer Margin Identification and Orientation

Abstract

Breast conservation surgery has improved treatment for women faced with a diagnosis of breast cancer. A key factor in breast cancer surgery is the assurance of clear surgical margins. Inadequate or unclear margins prompt the need for re-excision, which can be physically and emotionally stressful for patients. A variety of techniques have been used to indicate margins intraoperatively, but the use of arbitrary methods can contribute to miscommunication between the OR and the radiology and pathology departments. A standardized process to identify surgical margins using radiopaque charms has improved communication and outcomes for patients undergoing breast cancer surgery at one facility.

Novel Breast Specimen Orientation Approach through 3D Visualizations for Relocating Inadequate Margins based on the Surgical Clips: Feasibility Study.

“…This can result in disorientation in one in three cases [Molina2008]. Accurate communication of the breast specimen orientation between operating theatre and pathology can enable targeted therapy and reduce potential overtreatment [7,[9][10][11]. In literature, only a few articles present an alternative breast specimen orientation method to tackle this problem [12][13][14].…”