surgical margins assessment

Full Definition

Surgical margins assessment is the pathological evaluation of tissue surrounding a resected tumor specimen to determine whether cancer cells extend to the cut edges of the specimen. This assessment is fundamental to surgical oncology as it directly impacts prognosis and the need for additional treatment. The evaluation includes gross examination of the specimen, microscopic analysis of tissue sections, and measurement of distances between tumor and specimen edges. Margin assessment requires close collaboration between surgeons and pathologists and may involve specialized techniques such as frozen section analysis during surgery.

In Context

• "Surgical margins assessment revealed clear margins with the closest margin measuring 3 mm." — Pathology report
• "The protocol requires standardized surgical margins assessment for all breast cancer specimens." — Laboratory procedure manual