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Surgical margins in the veterinary cancer patient
Author(s) -
Milovancev M.,
Russell D. S.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
veterinary and comparative oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.864
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1476-5829
pISSN - 1476-5810
DOI - 10.1111/vco.12284
Subject(s) - medicine , histopathology , context (archaeology) , adjuvant therapy , margin (machine learning) , surgical margin , gold standard (test) , pathology , veterinary medicine , general surgery , surgery , cancer , medical physics , resection , radiology , biology , computer science , paleontology , machine learning
In veterinary oncologic specimens, histopathology is the gold standard for determining adequacy of excision. Despite limitations of this technique, the pathologist's interpretation of margin status significantly impacts patient management, including indications for adjuvant therapy. This article aims to summarize peer‐reviewed literature as it relates to histologic margin evaluation in veterinary cancer patients. The value of histologic tumour‐free margins and technical factors influencing histopathologic margin outcomes are also discussed. We review alternative strategies for determining excisional status, and discuss how an evolving understanding of tumour biology might inform clinical and research perspectives on surgical margins. In doing so, we aim to provide context and a stimulus for future investigations into this important yet incompletely understood topic.