1 in 4 Partial Mastectomy Patients Have Second Surgery
WLNY-News 55
February 1, 2012 11-11:35 PM

Audrey Hampton, Co-Anchor: Some women who have lumpectomies for breast cancer undergo second surgeries that are considered unnecessary. According to a new study, doctors say it’s because the guidelines are unclear.

Christina Regnault, Reporter: The guidelines for deciding who needs repeat surgery in breast cancer cases are unclear—that’s the finding of a new study, which looked at 2,206 women who had lumpectomies in different parts of the country.

Dr. Karen Kostroff, North Shore LIJ Health System: Approximately three-quarters of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are fortunate enough to be able to have a lumpectomy. Of those patients, one quarter, when they have their lumpectomy, return back for a second lumpectomy.

Christina Regnault: And the study showed nearly half of the repeat operations were done in women who had no evidence of stray cancer cells, but even worse: 14% of patients who still had evidence of cancer left behind never had another operation. Dr. Kostroff says the reason for the variation is that there’s no consensus among surgeons on how big a margin or rim of healthy tissue should be taken out when the cancer is removed.

Dr. Karen Kostroff: Think of it as, when someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, it’s like the yolk of a hard-boiled egg; there’s a bad area, and then you want to get what is often the equivalent of the white—a clean edge around it.

Christina Regnault: While some doctors believe it may be time to come to a consensus on this issue, Dr. Kostroff says when it comes to treating breast cancer it’s really all about individualized care.

Dr. Karen Kostroff: It goes back to shape and age and how much additional treatment—chemotherapy, radiation, and then what we call anti-estrogen treatment—and so I’m not so sure that what we’ve been doing has been so wrong.

Christina Regnault: Christina Regnault, TV 10/55 News.