Scrape cytology assessment of margins of lumpectomy specimens in breast cancer.

In cases of breast carcinoma in which only lumpectomy is performed, it is necessary to ascertain that the surgical margins were adequate, i.e., free of tumor. Since the histologic methods used for this purpose are either unreliable or very cumbersome, scrape cytology was evaluated as a method for the examination of lumpectomy margins. In 30 cases examined both cytologically and histologically, a very good correlation was found between the two methods. The scrape cytology method has the advantage of being much easier and quicker and is thus recommended for routine use.