Saint Mary's Hospital Adopts Non-Radioactive Technology to Advance the Standard of Breast Cancer Surgery

WATERBURY, Conn. -- Saint Mary’s Hospital is the only hospital in New Haven County that now offers breast cancer patients access to the world’s first non-radioactive, dual-tracer breast cancer staging technology. It’s a simple iron oxide-based magnetic solution called the Magtrace® lymphatic tracer and is designed to simplify breast cancer surgery, while providing a more patient-friendly experience.

Used in a procedure called sentinel lymph node biopsy, Magtrace is injected into the breast at any point up to a month ahead of surgery, meaning it can be scheduled at a time that best suits the patient. This unique tracer follows the path that invasive cancer cells would take, migrating up to the underarm to identify the first lymph nodes – also known as sentinel nodes. The Magtrace then marks those lymph nodes, ready for surgery.

When it’s time to remove the lymph nodes, this technology emits a magnetic signal picked up by the Sentimag probe – which works like a metal detector – to help locate the target tissue. As an added benefit, it also stains the node to provide visual confirmation when the surgeon is close. By using this technology, Saint Mary’s breast surgeons are able to better target lymph nodes at risk and only remove the ones that need to come out.

“This technology has advanced breast cancer care for women in a very meaningful way. It provides the opportunity to save lymph nodes from unnecessary removal,” said Lisa Attebery, M.D., breast surgeon with Trinity Health Of New England. “If we can improve patient experience and outcomes, I absolutely believe we should.”

Once removed, the Magtrace-marked lymph nodes are then sent to pathology to assess whether the cancer has spread to the underarm. This will then determine if further surgery is needed, or if the patient can proceed with less invasive treatment.

The current standard of care for breast cancer staging involves a combination of radioactive isotopes and blue dye, which can present supply and scheduling issues for hospitals, and in some instances the dye causes a risk of anaphylaxis for some patients. The addition of the Magtrace technology allows Saint Mary’s to provide more options to patients, which eliminates the risks associated with the radioactive isotopes, ultimately improving the outcomes for patients long-term.

As an added benefit, Magtrace’s long injection window affords Saint Mary’s breast cancer patients more advanced surgical options, and in some cases reduces the need for underarm surgery altogether.

“Saint Mary’s is committed to ensuring our breast cancer surgeons have the latest, most innovative tools they need to provide the highest quality care for our patients,” said Husnain Kermalli, M.D., Chief Medical Officer. “We are pleased to be leaders in the quality of care for breast cancer care patients, and the addition of Magtrace is a key part of our dedication to this goal.”