| Summary: | Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women in Canada and is the second leading cause of death from cancer in this population. As of 2017, an estimated 26,300 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed annually in Canada. When patients are diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, breast-conserving surgery may be offered (following an assessment of risk factors) as an alternative to mastectomy. The goal of breast-conserving surgery is to excise cancerous tissue with adequate disease-free (i.e., negative) margins, in order to control disease, limit recurrence, maximize disease survival rates, and maintain cosmetic integrity of the breast. Standard of care requires excised specimens to be prepared and transferred to a pathology laboratory for evaluation or margin status assessment. Excised specimens with disease close to or at the boundary (i.e., positive margins) are an indication for re-excision, cavity shaving, or re-operation. To minimize the probability of recalling patients for repeat surgeries on a different day following pathology assessment, intraoperative assessment of excised specimens is being explored
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