My margins were clear. What are margins?

When a surgeon removes a lump, they take a rim of normal tissue around it as well. That rim is the margin. Afterward it is checked under a microscope.

Clear margins mean no cancer was found at the edge, which suggests it was all taken out. If cancer reaches the edge, we may operate again or add radiation. Ask which yours were.

Written by two physicians. Checked against patient information from the US National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK.