Surgery is often a key part of the overall treatment plan for breast cancer because it removes as much of the cancer as possible from the body. Depending on your diagnosis, you may be offered a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. A lumpectomy, or breast-conserving surgery, removes only the tumor and a small margin of surrounding tissue, allowing most of the breast to remain. A mastectomy removes the entire breast to lower the risk of the cancer returning, especially in certain cases.
Breast cancer surgery typically involves either a lumpectomy or breast conserving surgery (BCS), which removes only the tumor and a small margin of surrounding tissue, or a mastectomy, which removes the entire breast. Each option has unique considerations related to recovery, aesthetics, risk of recurrence, and follow-up care.
Lumpectomy:
Mastectomy:
When performing a lumpectomy, the goal is to remove the tumor along with a rim of healthy tissue around it—this rim is called the margin. Ensuring the margins are free of cancer cells is essential to lowering the risk of recurrence and avoiding a second surgery.
Without clear margins, residual cancer cells may remain, increasing the risk of recurrence and requiring another surgery. That’s why margin assessment—using any or a combination of these tools—is a critical step in lumpectomy. MarginProbe® 2 adds a new level of precision, empowering surgeons and offering greater peace of mind to patients.