Definition
Components
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Data Element ConceptCancer treatment—distance of closest surgical margin
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Object ClassCancer treatment
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PropertyDistance of closest surgical margin
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Value DomainNone
Comments
Guide for use:
Surgical margins represent sites that have either been cut or bluntly dissected by the surgeon to resect the specimen.
Record the distance of the closest surgical margin to the invasive or in situ carcinoma as described in the pathology report. Where two or more margins are reported, only the closest should be recorded.
Record only for the most definitive surgical procedure performed. For instance, if a surgical procedure to remove a portion of tumour at the primary site is followed by additional surgery to remove the remainder of the tumour at that site, code the distance of the margin for the final surgical procedure.
Record for the primary tumour site only, not for metastatic sites.
When the margin is described as positive (i.e. cancer cells come to the edge of the removed tissue) record "00".
When surgery was not performed record "97", when it is unknown whether surgery was performed record "98", and when surgery was performed but the margin was not described record "99".Comments:The distance of the closest margin is useful for surgical audit and for assessing the completeness of surgical resection. Margin involvement may influence treatment decisions and is a prognostic indicator.
References
Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia 2010. Lung cancer structured reporting protocol. 1st Edition (Version 1.0). Surry Hills, NSW: Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia
American College of Surgeons 2002. Facility Oncology Registry Data Standards (FORDS), 2011 revision. Commission on Cancer, page 211This content Based on Australian Institute of Health and Welfare material. Attribution provided as required under the AIHW CC-BY licence.