Grade and tumor-free margins as predictors of recurrence in canine mast cell tumors

Complete surgical excision is crucial for long-term control and a prerequisite for a cure for most canine mast cell tumors (MCT). The surgical guidelines for MCT are well established in the literature and suggest that these tumors be resected with surgical margins of 2 to 3 cm laterally and one tissue plane in depth in order to achieve complete margins and minimize the risk of local reoccurrence. The association between surgical margins and histopathologic margins has not been well studied in canine MCT, making it difficult to interpret how the histologic tumor-free margin correlates with the risk of local reoccurrence.
Source: Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery - Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Oncology Source Type: research