Imaging-Assisted Large-Format Breast Pathology: Program Rationale and Development in a Nonprofit Health System in the United States

Table 1

Surgical margins: persistent management questions.

(i) Why does breast cancer recur after breast conservation surgery (BCS) with negative margins?
(a) Corollary: why is carcinoma present in re-excisions/mastectomies performed following excisions with negative margins?
(ii) What margin width is necessary to consider surgical management complete for DCIS and invasive carcinoma?
(iii) Why are re-excisions of breast performed following BCS with positive margins often negative for residual cancer?
(iv) Why does breast cancer locally recur following mastectomy when the mastectomy margins are negative?
(v) Can extent or grade of DCIS predict recurrence when BCS margins are negative?