Use of Intraoperative Ultrasound During Breast Conservation Surgery (BCS) for Palpable Breast Cancer: an Extremely...

For clinically low-volume breast cancer patients subjected to BCS, there is a concern regarding achieving microscopically negative margins and avoiding inadvertent resection of excessive volume of breast tissue. In this study, we utilized intraoperative ultrasound to guide resection in patients subjected to BCS. This was compared with palpation-guided resection. A total of 80 patients of invasive breast carcinoma (T1-2, N0-1, M0) (39 patients in USG-guided BCS (group A) and 41 patients in palpation-guided BCS (group B)) were enrolled. In group A, intraoperative localization was performed using a multifrequency 10-MHz linear array ultrasound probe and tumors were excised under USG guidance. In group B, tumor excision was guided by the palpation skills of the surgeon with the aim of achieving grossly negative margin circumferentially. Specimen volume was measured using water displacement technique. One out of 39 patients (2.56%) in group A and 5 out of 41(12.19%) in group B had positive margin in histopathology report. Mean of specimen volume in groups A and B was 42.67 and 57.97 ml respectively (P = 0.011). Mean of excess volume removed in study group was 4.19 ml and in control group, it was 24.11 ml (P = < 0.01). Mean of calculated resection ratio in study group was 1.1 and in control group was 1.73 (P = 0.01). Use of intraoperative ultrasound during BCS may help in improving margin clearance, reducing additional procedures, and preserving the normal breast parenchyma. The safety, ease, and effectivity of this technique may result in its wider application in future.