Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgical margin size for removing grade I and II mast cell tumors
By Chu, Margaret L et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2020·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Comparison of lateral surgical margins of up to two centimeters with margins of three centimeters for achieving tumor-free histologic margins following excision of grade I or II cutaneous mast cell tumors in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study involving 68 dogs with grade I or II skin tumors called mast cell tumors found that removing the tumors with smaller surgical margins (2 centimeters or equal to the tumor size) was just as effective as using larger margins (3 centimeters) in ensuring that no cancer cells were left behind. Out of the tumors removed, 93% of those with smaller margins and 92% with larger margins had clear margins after surgery. This suggests that using smaller margins could help reduce the risk of complications after surgery without compromising the effectiveness of the treatment.
People also search for: dog mast cell tumor treatment · skin tumor surgery margins in dogs · mast cell tumor removal recovery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether conservative lateral surgical margins (equal to tumor diameter for tumors < 2 cm in diameter or 2 cm for larger tumors) were noninferior to wide (3-cm) lateral surgical margins for achieving tumor-free histologic margins following excision of grade I and II cutaneous mast cell tumors (MCTs) in dogs. ANIMALS: 83 grade I and II MCTs excised with a deep surgical fascial margin and requisite lateral surgical margins from 68 dogs from 2007 to 2017. Tumors representing scar revision or local recurrence were excluded. PROCEDURES: A pathology department database was searched to identify qualifying MCTs, and medical records were cross-referenced to obtain data regarding patients and tumors. Outcome (complete vs incomplete excision as histologically determined) was compared between conservative- and wide-margin groups. A noninferiority margin of ≥ 0.9 was used for the risk ratio (probability of complete excision for the conservative- vs wide-margin group), implying that noninferiority would be established if the data indicated that the true risk of complete excision with the conservative-margin approach was at worst 90% of that for the wide-margin approach. RESULTS: The proportion of excised MCTs with tumor-free histologic margins was similar between the conservative- (43/46 [93%]) and wide- (34/37 [92%]) margin groups. There were no differences in tumor diameter or location between treatment groups. The risk ratio (1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.89 to 1.19) met the criterion for noninferiority. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The conservative-margin approach appeared to be noninferior to the wide-margin approach for achieving tumor-free histologic margins in the dogs of this study, and its use could potentially reduce the risk of postoperative complications. (2020;256:567-572.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32068517/