LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, Mar 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Breast Unit of the Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, through the General Surgery and Radiology services, has incorporated the implantation of ferromagnetic seeds to locate lymph nodes that are affected by a tumor, in such a way that they can selectively remove only those nodes and avoid removing all nodes in the armpit.
This technique is performed after administering chemotherapy, allowing to be more conservative and precise in the surgical treatment of breast cancer. They add that the objective is to use it, in the near future, for the location and removal of breast tumors that are not palpable, according to the Canarian Ministry of Health.
In this regard, they indicate that it is a novel technique that is beginning to be carried out in several Spanish hospitals and in the Canary Islands the University Hospital of Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín has been the first to carry it out.
Currently, experts point out, there is evidence that shows that lymph nodes can be preserved after chemotherapy in certain patients who have responded to treatment, avoiding the dreaded complications of axillary lymphadenectomy and radiotherapy, one of them, and perhaps the best known , lymphedema (swelling of the upper limb). This complication can imply a significant functional limitation and risk of infection.
The Breast Unit of said hospital has been carrying out the removal of the lymph nodes affected by the tumor since 2017, although to locate these nodes it was necessary to place, before administering chemotherapy, a metal clip, for after chemotherapy, and As a step prior to surgery, a metal guide (called a harpoon) was incorporated into the patient’s armpit in order to locate the nodes in the operating room.
In this sense, they explain that the harpoon is a kind of long wire whose tip is shaped like an umbrella and is anchored in the tissue, in this case, the ganglion, adding that it has traditionally been used to locate tumors that are not palpable in the breast. . In any case, they have pointed out that the results obtained through this technique are good, although “it contains certain difficulties and possible complications.” In addition, to be “uncomfortable” for the patient.
For this reason, he understands that the use of ferromagnetic seeds represents an “important advance” for patients, as well as an “improvement in the quality of care”. The ferromagnetic seed (Magseed-Sysmex) is a small piece of stainless steel approximately 5 millimeters long and 1 millimeter wide, which is inserted into the ganglion or breast tissue of the patient using needles that have it incorporated, similar to those of the used to do a biopsy. The seeds are harmless and can remain indeterminate in the patient’s body.
In addition, they do not lose effectiveness because they are detected in the same way months after their placement and do not migrate, qualifying that it is not even necessary for the patient to remain hospitalized after their placement. Once the patient is in the operating room, a specific detection system (Sentimag-Sysmex) is available, consisting of a detector and a probe, which, when close to the seed, generates an electromagnetic field detectable by the probe, more or less powerful according to the proximity to the seed. This provides its location and, consequently, allows the tissue that contains it (lymph node or breast tumor) to be removed.
Breast cancer is the most frequent neoplasm in women, and for this reason, the Dr. Negrín University Hospital of Gran Canaria intervenes in approximately 350 patients a year. Most of these patients undergo conservative surgery, preserving the breast and armpit nodes, since it has been shown that this treatment achieves “excellent” oncological results and fewer physical, functional, psychological and aesthetic sequelae.
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