Review of Current Accepted Practices in Identification of the Breast Lumpectomy Tumor Bed.

Purpose: Of the 260,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer annually in the United States, more than 60% are treated with breast-conserving surgery or lumpectomy, followed by radiation to decrease the chance of local recurrence. More than 70% of breast cancer recurrences are localized to the original tumor cavity. Hence, targeted radiation therapy after lumpectomy is critical for recurrence prevention.