Management of Benign Phyllodes Tumor With Close Margins: A Case Presented in Multidisciplinary Session With Clinical Discussion and Decision Making

Phyllodes tumors (PTs) are a small group of fibroepithelial breast lesions, which are classified as benign, borderline, or malignant. Traditionally, a margin of 1 cm has been suggested as the standard of care for all groups of PTs. According to new studies and recent updates, the recurrence rate of benign PT is low and not associated with the surgical margin status. There is still a controversy for PT surgical margin.
A woman with the primary diagnosis of fibroadenoma in core needle biopsy underwent surgery. The pathology report showed benign PT and margins about 1 mm in some areas. This case was presented in the weekly breast multidisciplinary team session of the Department of Breast Surgery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
Question: The question was whether re-excision was necessary to achieve the safe surgical margin.
In accordance with the latest published evidence, the members of the panel decided to accept the margin, informed the patient about the risk of recurrence, and recommended close follow-up.