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Updated: Dec 6, 2025

Tissue-simulating Phantoms for Assessing Potential Near-infrared Fluorescence Imaging Applications in Breast Cancer Surgery
Published on: September 19, 2014
Is specimen radiography still necessary in patients with non-palpable breast cancer undergoing breast-conserving
Yvonne E van Riet1, Robert-Jan Schipper2, Franca van Merrienboer3
1Department of Surgery, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
Aim:
To evaluate the diagnostic performance for margin assessment of specimen radiography (SR) in breast conserving surgery (BCS) using radioactive I125-seed localization (RSL).
Methods:
The clinical, radiographic and histopathological data of women who underwent BCS after pre-operative RSL with intraoperative SR during nine consecutive years were analyzed. The histological margin and radiographic margin outcomes on SR were compared and results of intraoperative re-excisions were investigated.
Results:
A consecutive series of 448 women with invasive carcinoma (n = 211), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) (n = 79) and a combination of DCIS and invasive carcinoma (n = 158) were included. The median minimal margins for the radiological masses and microcalcifications measured on SR were 14 mm and 11 mm, respectively. Based on a radiological cut-off SR margin value of 1 mm, the overall sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) were 21.0%, 95.0%, 26.0%, and 94.0%, respectively. The area under the receiver-operating curve was 0.73. Intraoperative re-excisions based on SR were performed in 31 (6.9%) patients; histopathological examination of the additional excised tissue revealed DCIS or invasive carcinoma in 6 (19.4%) patients. Hence, SR was beneficial for 6/448 patients (1.3%), and unnecessary intraoperative re-excisions were performed in 20/448 patients (4.5%). The number need to treat is 75; this implies that per 75-SR one resection with involved margins is prevented.
Conclusion:
SR has a moderate diagnostic performance for margin involvement using RSL. A more accurate intraoperative margin assessment tool is warranted.
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