Question about Very narrow margin after BMX

jammies

Hello All!

 My final pathology showed no evidence of lymph node invasion and all DCIS looks to be gone...no more treatment!  Yea!  BUT:  there was a VERY narrow margin of .01 cm.  BS would have liked a bigger margin but agreed with the Pathologist that it's fine and we're done (just monitor for a long time).  Happy about no treatment but not thrilled about the margin.  Do you know if this means that some DCIS could have escaped into the clean tissue?  Advice on how I should think about the BS recco?  Thanks sooooooo much! 

JAT

This has been discused more than once on our board, and each time you'll see an array of answers. I ha d a narrow (less than 1 mm) margin that was superficial (to the skin) so my drs. were not overly concerned, though I was.  My BS re-excised a good piece of skin at the time of my implant exchange, and it showed no residual DCIS.  I agonized over this-- should I do radiation as "insurance"? She brought my case to the hospital's tumor board and I also got a second opinion at another hpsital (also went before their tumor board)-- and all agreed to re-excise and not do radiation.  I know there are others on this board whose narrow margin was close to the chest wall, and opted for radiation since re-excision was virtually impossible.  I would ask your BS to discuss this with the tumor board, or get a second opinion at another institution, just for piece of mind.  I was worried about radiation because I have autoimmune issues and also, once you have it, it can't be used again in case of a recurrence.  Three years later I still worry if I made the right choice.

sunshinegal

I had very narrow margins after my November single mastectomy; 1mm near the chest wall. My surgeon felt good about that margin b/c he removed the muscle fascia but it still took 2 tumor boards discussing my case to help me decide to forego radiation. (The first tumor board had a split opinion but the second one - at Dana Farber - agreed that radiation was not indicated in my case.)

I am very comfortable with my decision (no rads) and haven't second guessed myself in the least. Everyone is different, though, and what I can live with isn't necessarily what anyone else can. Good luck!

mom3band1g

I did have rads but I had several less than 1mm margins against the chest wall and a 1mm margin skin side.  My BS and RO both said it would come back without rads.  So I did.