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Manitoba leads the way in breast cancer surgery technology for Canada
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Manitoba's health system is rolling out a new, innovative technology
that will improve breast cancer care and have a significant impact on
patient experience in the days and weeks leading up to surgeries.
The technology, called magnetic seed localization, works as a marker,
and is inserted into breast tissue to pinpoint the location of
cancerous tumours before surgery. When it's time for the procedure,
the surgeon can use a probe to find the location of the tumor.
"This is a really important advancement for patients in Manitoba. Any
time you do breast cancer surgery on a small tumour that you can't
easily feel, you need to have a marker so you know where it is,"
explained Dr. Pamela Hebbard, Head of Surgical Oncology at CancerCare
Manitoba.
"For the past 50 years, that marker has been a wire placed into the
patient's breast in the hours or days before their surgery. It's
uncomfortable for patients because the end of the wire pokes out and
is taped in place. Now, instead of that wire, we will use a little
seed that will cause no discomfort."
Manitoba is the first province across Canada to fully implement the
technology across a province.
"Magnetic seed localization will revolutionize how we are managing
breast cancer care and breast surgeries in the province," said Tania
D'Amato, Executive Director, Provincial Breast Operations for Shared
Health. "The marker, as small as a grain of uncooked rice, can be
inserted weeks ahead of surgery at any facility in Manitoba that
currently offers wire placement."
"If that facility is in Winnipeg and the patient's surgeon and support
group are located in a rural community, seed placement can be done at
the patient's convenience weeks ahead of their surgery date," added
D'Amato.
_The magnetic seed is roughly the size of a grain of uncooked rice.
Photo supplied by Endomag._
Changes are also coming for some breast cancer patients who require
appointments for a nuclear medicine injection shortly before surgery
to help identify the cancerous tumor, either a day ahead or the
morning of the surgery.
"A new non-radioactive detectable liquid, called Magtrace, is also
being introduced to breast cancer care. This trace product can be
injected while in the operating room before the procedure, eliminating
the need for patients to visit nuclear medicine for an injection ahead
of surgery," said D'Amato.
These advancements will offer patients a much more comfortable,
streamlined experience and, in many cases, enable care to be available
closer to home.
"It is stressful enough to have to prepare for breast surgery, to add
on extra, uncomfortable appointments, hours before surgery, just
increase that anxiety. The magnetic seed localization technology with
the trace product a removes that complexity," said D'Amato, who said
that the addition of using a trace product will also open up 300-400
nuclear medicine appointments per year.
Scheduling for breast cancer surgery will improve with the addition of
these new processes, making it easier for last-minute changes to occur
and schedules to adapt, if needed.
"For instance, I may have an opening on Monday morning, but we may not
be able to use it because we can't get all the other appointments
lined up in time," said Dr. Hebbard. "Using the same operating room
days to inject the MagTrace allows us to be more efficient."
Magnetic localization procedures will be available at the Breast
Health Centre at 400 Taché Ave., Winnipeg, Health Sciences Centre,
Boundary Trails Health Centre and the Brandon Regional Health Centre.
Trace technology will be available at all sites where breast cancer
surgery takes place in the province.
More information can be found in this news release.
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