Giacomo Pata1, Michele Bartoli2, Anna Bianchi3, Mario Pasini3, Stefano Roncali3, Fulvio Ragni3. 1. Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 2nd Division of General Surgery, Brescia Civic Hospital, Brescia, Italy. giacomopata@alice.it. 2. Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 2nd Division of General Surgery, University of Brescia School of Medicine, Brescia, Italy. 3. Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 2nd Division of General Surgery, Brescia Civic Hospital, Brescia, Italy.
Abstract
PURPOSE: We addressed the impact of separate cavity margin excision (shaving) during breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for breast cancer on specimen volume, tumor margin clearance, re-excision rate, local recurrence and survival. METHODS: A retrospective case-matched study was performed on 298 women with stage 0-III breast cancer; 179 patients received shaving (shaving + lumpectomy group; SLG) and 119 patients did not (lumpectomy group; LG). RESULTS: The two groups had similar baseline characteristics. The median volume of surgical specimen was 131.9 cc in the SLG versus 134.8 cc in the LG (p = 0.81), and surgical margins were tumor-free in 90.7 % of cases in the LG versus 92.7 % in the SLG (87.1 % before shaving) (p = 0.69). The re-excision rate was 14.3 % in the LG versus 10.6 % in the SLG (p = 0.44). In the SLG, shaving spared 10 (5.6 %) patients from reoperation (positive lumpectomy margins but tumor-free shaving margins) (p = 0.11), and only 2/19 (10.5 %) patients in the SLG had tumor-free response at histological examination of re-excised margins compared with 10/17 (58.8 %) cases in the LG (p = 0.004). Tumor in shavings was found in 44/156 (28.2 %) patients having tumor-free lumpectomy margins. At multivariate analysis, distance of tumor from lumpectomy margins, tumor multifocality, receptor status, and tumor size were related to tumor persistence in shavings. Median follow-up was 27 months (range 23-35), and two patients had tumor relapse in the SLG versus none in the LG (p = 0.16). Overall survival was 100 % in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Shaving does not significantly decrease the re-excision rate but provides wider clear margins in most procedures. It ensures more accurate margin examination and decreases false-positive margin rate, without any increase in removed breast-tissue volume.
PURPOSE: We addressed the impact of separate cavity margin excision (shaving) during breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for breast cancer on specimen volume, tumor margin clearance, re-excision rate, local recurrence and survival. METHODS: A retrospective case-matched study was performed on 298 women with stage 0-III breast cancer; 179 patients received shaving (shaving + lumpectomy group; SLG) and 119 patients did not (lumpectomy group; LG). RESULTS: The two groups had similar baseline characteristics. The median volume of surgical specimen was 131.9 cc in the SLG versus 134.8 cc in the LG (p = 0.81), and surgical margins were tumor-free in 90.7 % of cases in the LG versus 92.7 % in the SLG (87.1 % before shaving) (p = 0.69). The re-excision rate was 14.3 % in the LG versus 10.6 % in the SLG (p = 0.44). In the SLG, shaving spared 10 (5.6 %) patients from reoperation (positive lumpectomy margins but tumor-free shaving margins) (p = 0.11), and only 2/19 (10.5 %) patients in the SLG had tumor-free response at histological examination of re-excised margins compared with 10/17 (58.8 %) cases in the LG (p = 0.004). Tumor in shavings was found in 44/156 (28.2 %) patients having tumor-free lumpectomy margins. At multivariate analysis, distance of tumor from lumpectomy margins, tumor multifocality, receptor status, and tumor size were related to tumor persistence in shavings. Median follow-up was 27 months (range 23-35), and two patients had tumor relapse in the SLG versus none in the LG (p = 0.16). Overall survival was 100 % in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Shaving does not significantly decrease the re-excision rate but provides wider clear margins in most procedures. It ensures more accurate margin examination and decreases false-positive margin rate, without any increase in removed breast-tissue volume.