Clear margin

Hi ,  I think your question is best answered by your surgical team as I imagine different surgeons have different targets for what a clear margin is.

Hope you do get a clear margin they are happy with. x

hi - this is from the NHS guidelines on breast surgery 

As in invasive disease, adequate margins are essential to reduce the risk of local recurrence and patients should be offered re-excision if the margins are close or involved. For all patients treated with breast conserving surgery for DCIS, a minimum of 1 mm radial margin of excision is essential with pathological examination of the specimen to NHSBSP reporting standards. A 10 mm margin is preferable, particularly in patients not proceeding to radiotherapy. Re-excision should be considered if the margin is less than one mm, after discussion of the risks and benefits with the patient. Three large trials have found a reduction in ipsilateral local recurrence following radiotherapy. It is recommended that adjuvant radiotherapy be discussed with all patients following breast conserving surgery for high grade DCIS and those with DCIS showing comedo necrosis.

So it looks like 1mm is the aim , but as goodwilling has said, it will really depend on your own circumstances and pathology and your surgeon if there is less than 1mm. 

I think I’ve replied to you on other posts , I was the same as you and had a mastectomy after the third wle/reexcision, so that will be an option.

Good luck 

Jo x

Thanks for the reply Jo x

That explained well what I was wondering about. Mine said I had adequate margins. Thank you. A little paranoia starts in small ways.