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An Improved Process for Breast Cancer Margin Identification and Orientation
Author(s) -
Beland Mary
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
aorn journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1878-0369
pISSN - 0001-2092
DOI - 10.1016/j.aorn.2009.06.030
Subject(s) - medicine , breast cancer , margin (machine learning) , breast surgery , general surgery , medical physics , radiology , cancer , surgery , computer science , machine learning
Breast conservation surgery has improved treatment for women faced with a diagnosis of breast cancer. A key factor in breast cancer surgery is the assurance of clear surgical margins. Inadequate or unclear margins prompt the need for re‐excision, which can be physically and emotionally stressful for patients. A variety of techniques have been used to indicate margins intraoperatively, but the use of arbitrary methods can contribute to miscommunication between the OR and the radiology and pathology departments. A standardized process to identify surgical margins using radiopaque charms has improved communication and outcomes for patients undergoing breast cancer surgery at one facility. AORN J 90 (October 2009) 525–529. © AORN, Inc, 2009.