Magseed markers give breast cancer patients better outcomes
A new and more accurate option in breast cancer surgery called Magseed is giving women better outcomes, with fewer needing repeat surgeries because their cancer wasn't completely removed.
Before alumpec to my, a tumor must be precisely marked. Traditionally t hat has been done with a wire, which can move before surgery and lead to surgeons missing cancerous tissue.
FDA-approved for breast localization since 2016, Magseed changes the way a tumor is located and marked.
Smaller than a grain of rice, magnetic and made from medical grade stainless steel, Magseed can be placed into a tumor any time before surgery. It is not radioactive.
Once implanted, Magseed stays in place. On the day of surgery, the magnetic marker is detected with a handheld magnetic wand. Known as a Sentimag, the wand can pinpoint the location of the Magseed within the body to a millimeter in two ways, by numerical count and audio tone.
It is simple rand more effective than the traditional guide-wire based lo ca liz ati on methods, which have been in use since the mid-tolate 1970s. The wire method requires a woman to arrive about two hours earlier and necessitates scheduling coordination between radiology and surgery, said Dr. Anne Peled, a breast, plastic and reconstructive surgeon practicing in San Francisco and a breast cancer survivor.
The wire is external ly exposed, which can be distressing to see for the patient, and runs the risk of being bent, dislodged or moved out of place while the patient is waiting for surgery, Peled said.
“Taking away the experience of (placing) the wire on the day of surgery removes anxiety for women. It allows them to just focus on the procedure itself,” she said.
Because it's more precise, t he Magseed method often removes less breast tissue than with wires.
“The wire, when you think about it, is almost barbaric. You' re walking round the medical center with a wire sticking out of you ,” said Peled, am other of three young children and triathlete who had no family history of breast cancer.
Placing the Mag seed is easy, fast and efficient, less invasive and more effective in marking, she said.
Doctors estimate that 20% to 40% of women who have lumpectomy to remove early stage breast cancer need to have more surgery later because their cancer wasn't completely removed the first time, according to Breastcancer.org.
Rates of second surgery for Magseed are between 6.5% and 12.5% compared to the wire.
“This is a dramatic benefit. Women want a successful procedure,” Peled said.
The Sentimag system has been used to treat more than 90,000 women around the world, and is used in over 450 hospitals across 35 countries.