Postoperative Identification of Tumor Cells At the Lumpectomy Site of Patients with Early Breast Cancer

For early breast cancer, local surgery followed by breast radiation is a standard local treatment. It has been found that the original primary tumor site, the lumpectomy site, is the commonest location of local relapse. The researchers think that such relapse occurs because of persistent tumor cells (PTCs) at the lumpectomy site even when conventional pathology reports indicate complete resection with clear margins. The researchers propose to analyze the lumpectomy fluid (seroma) of patients who are one to six weeks post-surgery for the presence or absence of tumor cells using new technology. Results of this study may help identify women who may have increased local relapse risk beyond that suggested by conventional pathology and clinical features; it may also help identify women at very low risk of local relapse who could avoid any additional treatment after local surgery.