Re-excision surgeries due to positive margins are all too common. Despite innovations, most imaging technologies do not have adequate resolution to visualize hard-to-detect cancers in the OR. Even with skilled surgeons, the odds of a repeat surgery due to cancer left behind are high, ranging from 10%-50% for #breastcancer. Additional surgeries not only cause emotional stress and anxiety, but they can more than double the risk of complications for patients and delay adjuvant treatments. #breastcancerawarenessmonth
Why do I need another lumpectomy? Sometimes, after a breast-conserving surgery, you may get a call from your breast surgeon saying that they didn’t get clean margins during surgery. If that happens, your surgeon may schedule you for another surgery– called a re-excision. So, what is a clean margin, and why does it matter? During a lumpectomy, the goal is to remove all of the cancer from your breast along with a rim– margin of healthy tissue. If the surgeon is able to get clear or clean margins, this means that the cancer is not on any of the edges of the tissue removed. Your surgeon uses a combination of imaging and visual cues to remove the cancer during your lumpectomy, but in some cases, the cancer is more extensive than the pre-surgery imaging showed. The abnormal cells inside the ducts in DCIS aren’t visible during surgery, and this is why compared to women with invasive breast cancer, the reoperation rates in DCIS are higher. (https://lnkd.in/dHdEPtEg) Here’s why margins matter: Clean (or clear) margins are linked to better outcomes and lower recurrence in cancer, (see https://lnkd.in/de3UZTYE) So if there is any cancer on the margins, your surgeon may call you and schedule another surgery- called a re-excision. I’m honored to serve as an advisor to Perimeter Medical Imaging AI where the mission is supporting surgeons with better tools and improving outcomes for patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery. On their website you can explore their resources about margins: https://lnkd.in/dwjyujmS If you are facing another surgery or re-excision, it is normal to feel sad and frustrated. I wrote a bit about some of the frustration I felt when my initial lumpectomy was delayed after my MRI here: https://lnkd.in/d7Whkdd8 If you have faced another surgery, or a delay in your treatment, I’d love to know what helped you as you walked through that time. #patientadvocacy #breastcancerawareness #cancercare #bcsm #sponsoredpost #dcis
