Determinants of breast conservation rates: reasons for mastectomy at a comprehensive cancer center.

Bias in referral patterns and variations in multi-disciplinary management may impact breast conservation therapy (BCT) rates between hospitals. Retrospective studies of BCT rates are limited by their inability to differentiate indicated mastectomies versus those chosen by the patient. Our prospective breast cancer data base was queried for patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent surgical therapy at the University of Michigan over a 3-year period.

Residual disease after re-excision lumpectomy for close margins.

Introduction: While a positive margin after an attempt at breast conservation therapy (BCT) is a reason for concern, there is more controversy regarding close margins. When re-excisions are performed, there is often no residual disease in the new specimen, calling into question the need for the procedure. We sought to examine the incidence of residual disease after re-excision for close margins and to identify predictive factors that may better select patients for re-excision.