ArticleGland surgery2026
The SLIM technique: introducing a novel way for the orientation of cavity shaves during breast conserving surgery in breast cancer patients.
Article in Gland surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Breast conserving surgery (BCS) for breast cancer patients is associated with a risk of re-excision of approximately 20%. Randomised trials have shown that the risk of re-excision could be minimised by obtaining cavity shaves of the four radial margins during BCS. However, the cavity shaves were often obtained in a random manner which could result in confusion in labelling the shaves in the operating theatre. To overcome this, an acronym SLIM (superior, lateral, inferior, medial) was introduced to guide the sequence of removal of shaves to minimise confusion. We aimed to assess the outcomes of implementing the SLIM technique. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in patients who underwent BCS between January 2021 and September 2024 in a single institution. Primary outcomes, such as re-excision rates in the histological sub-groups etc. were compared between the groups with or without SLIM. Results: A total of 421 patients were included: 79.6% (n=335) in the SLIM group and 20.4% (n=86) in the control group. Re-excision rate was 11.9% (n=40) in the SLIM group versus 15.1% (n=13) in the control group. For patients with invasive lobular cancer, the re-excision rate was statistically lower in the SLIM group (5%, 2/40) versus in the control group (23.08%, 3/13), P<0.05. The SLIM technique also identified incidental cancer in the shave margins in 1.2% (n=5) of patients. Conclusions: The SLIM technique helps standardise the orientation of cavity shaves during BCS in breast cancer patients and can reduce re-excision rates, particularly in those with lobular carcinoma.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.