Close Margins With Mastectomy

EndCancer

Hi! I'm just curious if anyone out there had close margins after mastectomy and decided to forge radiation?

I had a 0.41 margin after mastectomy. My doctors didn't seem to have a confident answer regarding whether or not I needed radiation but later recommended it. I felt this warranted a 2nd opionion. I met with a medical and radiation oncologist at MD Anderson. They did not recommend radiation. I really respect their expertise but often feel as if I'm the only patient who had close margins after mastectomy and didn't receive radiation. Anyone else?? 😊

Meadow

Endcancer, welcome! I do not know the answer to your queston, I have Inflammatory BC, and rads are part on the stardard protocol, so I had no choice really. I am bumping your question to the top of the active threads list, so more people may see it and respond. I hope you get more responses soon Hang in there, sounds like you are doing really great!

stellamaris

EndCancer: I had close margin after uni-mx. I think it was 0.05. I had already had 3 lumpectomies, and after the mx the pathology determined that the breast was fully involved. I had been told prior to the mx that radiation would be a possibility, but the radiologist said no, I did not need it, the margin was sufficiently clear.

EndCancer

Thank you so much, Meadow!

EndCancer

Stellamaris, thank you for the reply!Glad to know I'm not the only one. I had always heard that a 2mm+ margin was acceptable. The oncologist at MD Anderson said that a negative margin is a negative margin, irregardless of how close. There seems to be differing opinions on this though.