Study: Cancer-Free Tissue After Lumpectomy Means Lower Risk of Recurrence

New England Medical Center researchers report that if a large enough margin of neighboring tissue is free of cancer cells after breast cancer surgery, the likelihood of the cancer recurring is much smaller.

The researchers, reporting in the journal Cancer, said they based their findings on a study of specimens from 253 breast cancer lumpectomies.

They found that the larger the margin of normal tissue was around the original breast cancer, and the smaller the cancer itself, the lower the risk that residual cancer cells remained after the lumpectomy and hence the lower risk of cancer returning.

"The margin status of a lumpectomy specimen is the most important predictive factor for both the presence and amount of residual disease," the researchers concluded.

Other Sources: Cancer