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Has all the breast cancer been removed?
Your pathology report will say how close the cancer cells are to the edges of the whole area of tissue that was removed. This is called the surgical margin.
It’s important that the cancer is removed with an area of normal, healthy tissue around it, to make sure no cancer cells have been left behind.
- Negative (clear) margins mean no cancer cells were seen at the outer edge of the tissue removed.
- Positive margins mean the cancer cells do reach the edge of the tissue.
Treatment options
If you have negative or clear margins it’s unlikely you’ll need more surgery.
If you have positive margins you may need to have another operation to take out more tissue. Sometimes this means you will need a mastectomy to ensure all the cancer has been removed.
Last edited:
09 November 2011
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