Evaluation of Resident Participation on Specimen Margin Status in Patients Undergoing Lumpectomy

In the practice of breast surgery, positive margins are a troublesome pathologic finding associated with an increased risk of local recurrence and the recommendation of re-excision. For this reason, there is an emphasis placed on negative margins for breast surgeries. In this study, we analyze surgical resident involvement in breast cancer operations and associations with margin status.MethodsA retrospective study was completed of adult female patients who underwent a lumpectomy by a single surgeon. The surgeries were categorized by resident involvement in the surgical procedure. Other variables assessed were cancer type, grade, size, neoadjuvant chemotherapy use, and oncoplastic surgery. Variables were evaluated to determine what associated with a positive margin.ResultsWhen comparing cases with and without resident involvement, no statistically significant differences were noted in patient age (65.46 ± 1.76 years vs. 66.14 ± 9.31 years, <i>P</i> = .560), neoadjuvant therapy (11.8% vs. 8.0%, <i>P</i> =.273), and tumor size (12 mm vs. 13 mm, <i>P</i> =.871). The number of positive margins did not differ statistically whether a resident was involved or not (20.3% vs. 16.7%, <i>P</i> =.420). The only variable associated with increased positive margins was adenocarcinoma mixed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and pure DCIS, which was associated with the greatest proportions of positive margins.DiscussionUnlike some previous studies, our data reinforces it is safe to involve residents in breast conservation surgery. Specifically, program year did not significantly impact margin status. Thus, surgical training should continue to involve residents in breast surgery without fear of providing suboptimal care.