Intraoperative Specimen Mammography for Margin Assessment in Breast-Conserving Surgery

• Published in: Journal of breast cancer Vol. 22; no. 4; pp. 635 - 640
• Main Authors: Jin, Ming, Kim, Ji Young, Kim, Tae Hee, Kang, Doo Kyung, Han, Se Hwan, Jung, Yongsik
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Breast Cancer Society 01.12.2019; 한국유방암학회
• Subjects: Brief Communication; 일반외과학; Margins of excision; Mammography; Breast neoplasm
• ISSN: 1738-6756; 2092-9900
• DOI: 10.4048/jbc.2019.22.e58

The purpose of this study aimed to determine whether intraoperative specimen mammography is an effective margin assessment method in Asian women. Thus, 182 patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery (BCS) were evaluated. After wide excision, intraoperative specimen mammography was used to assess margin adequacy. The control group comprised 84 patients who underwent BCS and were evaluated for margin of frozen section during surgery. 61.6% patients had dense breasts and 85.7% of dense breasts could margin assess by intraoperative specimen mammography. There were no significant differences in the incidence of extremely close margins ( = 0.421) and second operation ( = 0.252) between both groups. Significant correlations were found between radiological and histological margins (R = 0.222, < 0.05). The frozen section analysis group had longer operative time than the specimen mammography group. The study results show that intraoperative specimen mammography of breast lesions in BCS is useful in identifying margin clearance.