St. Luke’s Hospital Breast and Bone Health is excited to now offer breast localization with Magseed, a new, wire-free breast localization procedure. Breast localization is a procedure done prior to breast cancer surgery in which the radiologist precisely locates and marks the tumor, assuring the seed and abnormal breast tissue are found and removed by the surgeon.
Breast cancer is an already stressful and uncomfortable battle for the one in eight women who will develop the disease in their lifetime. With Magseed, breast localization is now a less invasive process by requiring a much smaller incision, providing a more comfortable experience for the patient. Prior to Magseed, breast wire localization used a wire that was outside of the breast to mark the tumor, which required a bigger incision.
The Magseed is a precision 1x5mm marker – about the size of a grain of rice – that is placed at the site of the tumor by a radiologist using a needle. It can be placed weeks to months prior to surgery and cannot be felt by the patient once in place, meaning they can then go about their normal lives up to the day of surgery.
“We are excited to provide this new advancement in breast health,” said Therese Michels, manager of St. Luke’s Breast and Bone Health.
“Not only will we provide the patient with a more comfortable and better experience with a less invasive procedure, we will also provide a system that allows the patient to resume normal activity after it is implanted, then arrive at the hospital closer to their surgery time.”
On the day of surgery, the surgeon will be able to easily locate the tumor thanks to the Magseed technology. Studies show the Magseed, which is radiation- and wire-free, can be accurately placed, demonstrated no movement and are detectable in all sizes and depths of breast tissue.
“We’re very excited to bring this Magseed technology to our breast cancer patients,” said Dr. Kerri Nowell, surgeon at Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa. “We decided to bring in this technology because the wire localization process can sometimes be very uncomfortable for patients. Compared to the traditional breast wire localization, Magseed allows the surgeon to utilize a variety of different incision locations on the breast, without being confined by the wire location. This allows for a better cosmetic outcome.”
Overall, Magseed allows for a smoother, more accurate process which benefits the patients, radiologists and surgeons alike. If you’d like more information about Magseed technology, call St. Luke’s Breast and Bone Health at (319) 369-7216.
Request a Mammogram
If you’re a woman who is 40 or older, now is the time to start screening for breast cancer. Talk to your doctor or request a mammogram at unitypoint.org/requestamammogram.
Walk-in Mammograms Available
For women with busy schedules, St. Luke’s Breast and Bone Health offers walk-in screening mammograms Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at our three convenient locations. All you need is a doctor’s order. Priority is given to patients with a scheduled appointment.
Facing a Cancer Diagnosis?
Whether you’ve received a cancer diagnosis elsewhere and would like to meet with a member of our team to review your case, or you’re already in treatment and would like more information on how our extensive offering of support services can help you through treatment, call the Nassif Community Cancer Center at (319) 558-4876 or visit communitycancercenter.org.
