Surgical margins

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The surgical margins, often simply referred to as margins, are the set of surfaces that were cut by the surgeon in order to remove the specimen from the body. The distance between the tumour and the margin is called the surgical clearance, a term that may be used interchangeably with the term surgical margin.[1] Margins are important as an incompletely removed disease process may lead to re-occurrence.

Most often, positive margins, i.e. surgical margins with disease present or "very close", suck. For example, in locally advanced rectal cancer, in one study,[2] five year survival was found to be 60%, 31% and 0% for R0 (no tumour at the margin), R1 (microscopic tumour at the margin), and R2 (macroscopic tumour at the margin) resections respectively.

What defines a positive surgical margin is dependent on the tumour and its biology.

Types of margins

  • En face.
    • Sample the complete surface.
    • No information about the distance between the margin and lesion can be obtained.
  • On edge, AKA perpendicular margin, as the cut to prepare the tissue for microscopic examination is perpendicular to the cut from the surgeon.
    • Sample a subset of the surface.
    • The distance between the margin and lesion can be measured.

Adequate margin

  • What constitutes an adequate margin is dependent on the tumour type, as different tumours have different behaviours.

"Good" margin - by tumour:

Tumour Margin System
Colorectal carcinoma Gastrointestinal pathology
Vulvar carcinoma 1 cm fresh (0.8 cm fixed)[3] Gynecologic pathology
Malignant melanoma "no minimum safe distance established" - CAP protocol;[4] 2 mm - South African consensus[5] Dermatopathology
Ductal carcinoma in situ > 2mm[6] Breast pathology

See also

References

  1. Ng, IO.; Luk, IS.; Yuen, ST.; Lau, PW.; Pritchett, CJ.; Ng, M.; Poon, GP.; Ho, J. (Mar 1993). "Surgical lateral clearance in resected rectal carcinomas. A multivariate analysis of clinicopathologic features.". Cancer 71 (6): 1972-6. PMID 8443747.
  2. Larsen SG, Wiig JN, Dueland S, Giercksky KE (April 2008). "Prognostic factors after preoperative irradiation and surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer". Eur J Surg Oncol 34 (4): 410–7. doi:10.1016/j.ejso.2007.05.012. PMID 17614249.
  3. Palaia, I.; Bellati, F.; Calcagno, M.; Musella, A.; Perniola, G.; Panici, PB. (Aug 2011). "Invasive vulvar carcinoma and the question of the surgical margin.". Int J Gynaecol Obstet 114 (2): 120-3. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2011.02.012. PMID 21669423.
  4. URL: http://www.cap.org/apps/docs/committees/cancer/cancer_protocols/2012/SkinMelanoma_12protocol.pdf. Accessed on: 19 August 2012.
  5. Whitaker, DK.; Sinclair, W. (Aug 2004). "Guideline on the management of melanoma.". S Afr Med J 94 (8 Pt 3): 699-707; quiz 708. PMID 15344606.
  6. Dunne, C.; Burke, JP.; Morrow, M.; Kell, MR. (Apr 2009). "Effect of margin status on local recurrence after breast conservation and radiation therapy for ductal carcinoma in situ.". J Clin Oncol 27 (10): 1615-20. doi:10.1200/JCO.2008.17.5182. PMID 19255332.