I’ve heard about women having 2 or 3 lumpectomies, one right after the other. What’s that about?
A. The goal of any lumpectomy is to remove all of the tumor, yet as little of your breast as possible. That’s why lumpectomy is often referred to as breast conservation surgery. You’ll no doubt hear your surgeon talk about “margins” or “resection margins,” which refer to the area of breast tissue directly surrounding the tumor. Your goal is to have “clear,” “clean,” or “negative” margins. That means the tissue surrounding the tumor shows no cancer cells. After the surgeon has removes your tumor, it’s sent to pathology. The ensuing pathology report will note whether (and where) cancer cells are found, anywhere between the tumor and the far edges of the tissue surrounding it. If cancer cells are found at the edge of the sample, you have “positive” margins. This signals the need for further surgery. You may have several surgeries in order to obtain clear margins. If you’ve had several surgeries, and the pathologist is still finding cancer cells in the tissue, your surgeon may suggest a ma
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