October 18, 2024- OhioHealth now offers breast cancer patients access to a groundbreaking surgical technique, which could spare them an invasive axillary procedure, according to OhioHealth.
It is called ‘delayed’ sentinel lymph node biopsy, and is only possible to perform with Magtrace®, the world’s first non-radioactive, dual-tracer breast cancer staging technology. The technique gives physicians the opportunity to delay the surgery often used to assess the spread of breast cancer until they know it is needed, and spare surgery altogether for those who do not.
The lymph node biopsy that Magtrace® offers is performed by injecting Magtrace® into the breast at the time of mastectomy to remove the DCIS. The tracer, made from iron oxide particles, then migrates to the underarm, where it will remain for as long as the surgeon needs, marking the nodes most likely to contain cancer if it has spread.
The DCIS is then analysed by pathology for any presence of an invasive component. If it is found to be invasive, the lymph nodes will still be marked with the Magtrace® meaning the patient can be scheduled to return for underarm surgery to confirm if the cancer requires upstaging. However, for roughly 80% of patients’ pathology will show that no further surgery is needed.