New Surgery Guideline for Breast Cancer Patients

2 millimeters is enough to guard against recurrences while reducing need for additional surgeries

New surgery guidelines for certain breast cancer patients could reduce both unnecessary surgeries and recurrence rates, three U.S. cancer groups say. The guideline is for treatment of women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who undergo breast-conserving surgery with whole breast radiation. DCIS is an early stage cancer

"The use of a 2-millimeter margin as the standard for an adequate margin in DCIS treated with whole breast radiation therapy is associated with low rates of recurrence of cancer in the breast and has the potential to decrease re-excision rates, improve cosmetic outcome and decrease health care costs," according to the guideline from the Society of Surgical Oncology, the American Society for Radiation Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

"Margins more widely clear than 2 millimeters do not further reduce the rates of recurrence of cancer in the breast and their routine use is not supported by evidence," the guidelines stated.