New technology for breast cancer patients at Baptist Health Paducah
Sentimag is a simpler, less invasive experience for the patient.
(Paducah, KY) October 20, 2021 – – Baptist Health Paducah is the first in the region to use an FDA approved system that guides surgeons in locating and removing breast tumors, known as the Sentimag® Magnetic Localization System. This systems uses magnetic sensing to detect its magnetic markers, Magseed® and Magtrace®, for precise localization and breast cancer staging with one system. Sentimag® is a simpler, more effective alternative to traditional methods of guide wires for tissue localization and radioactive traces for sentinel node biopsy procedures, creating a less invasive experience for the patient.
The Magseed® marker is a tiny seed made from surgical grade steel that is smaller than a grain of rice that can be placed in the tumor days or weeks before surgery. It is placed in tissue to mark tumors and nodes before surgery to help the surgeon accurately locate the cancer in the operating room and remove it in one piece. This technology allows the radiologist to implant the magnetic seed that provide surgeons a specific map to the tumor. Once placed, it cannot be dislodged or damaged and is detected by the Sentimag® probe with millimeter precision. Magseed® is helping to improve outcomes and the standard of cancer care in Paducah by accurately marking the site of cancer and to aid in its removal during surgery. In addition, Magseed® provides a less intrusive and more accurate removal of tissue.
“Magseed® is an incredible new technology in terms of breast cancer care. This was only available in big cities a few years ago, and we already have it here. And we're doing things here that aren't even being done at some major cancer operation centers. It's pretty incredible,” said Kristen Williams, MD, surgeon with Surgical Group of Paducah.
Through the generosity of the members of our President’s Circle, Baptist Health Foundation’s annual giving society, the Foundation was able to provide the necessary funding for the Sentimag® Breast Localization System as soon as the need was identified.
During implantation of Magseed®, a small area of the breast is numbed by a local anesthetic similar to what a dentist uses. The radiologist uses either X-ray or ultrasound to guide precise placement of the seed, which is inserted through a very small needle. Afterward, a small adhesive bandage is used to cover the area.
The Magseed® marker can also be used to mark suspicious lymph nodes before chemotherapy, and in conjunction with EndoMag’s lymphatic mapping agent, Magtrace®, enables surgeons at Baptist Health Paducah to perform a more targeted dissection and determine if the cancer has spread.
Magtrace® is a magnetic detection system to identify specific lymph nodes, known as sentinel lymph nodes, for surgical removal. This mapping agent traces the path the cancer would travel and identifies specific lymph nodes for surgical removal. The Magtrace® in these nodes allows the surgeon to accurately target them for removal, without disrupting the rest of the nodes in the armpit. This is critical in determining the tumor stage and deciding on the patient’s best treatment pathway.
“Being able to treat patients in Paducah has always been my dream. I wanted to be a doctor since a young age and being able to come home and take care of my community and offer the latest and greatest to women here is just truly humbling,” said Williams.
To learn more about the Sentimag® Breast Localization System, visit www.endomag.com
About EndoMag
EndoMag is a global medical technology company that believes everyone deserves a better standard of cancer care. Many of the world’s leading physicians and hospitals use the company’s technologies to help women with breast cancer avoid surgery when it isn’t needed, and experience better outcomes when it is.
At the heart of the company’s product platform is the Sentimag® localization system. The Sentimag® system features a probe which works like a metal detector, and when placed near the skin’s surface is used to detect EndoMag’s magnetic seed (Magseed®) or liquid tracer (Magtrace®), for tissue localization and sentinel node biopsy procedures.
To date, Sentimag® has been used in over 250,000 tissue localizations in over 45 countries and on all six continents that perform breast cancer surgery. The technology has allowed these patients, regardless of hospital setting, to access more precise and less invasive breast cancer treatment. The company’s technologies are also widely supported by extensive clinical data, with over 5,000 patients featured Magseed® marker studies, making it the world’s most studied non-radioactive seed technology.
EndoMag is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, with an office in Austin, Texas.
To learn more visit: https://www.endomag.com/