University Hospitals System Widens Use of Magseed® Marker

Magseed offers a simpler and more efficient system for localisation of breast lesions than traditional hookwire techniques, improving patient experience and surgery scheduling.

UH Seidman Cancer Center, UH Ahuja and UH Cleveland Medical campuses have been offering the Magseed® marker as the standard of care, carrying out over 450 successful procedures in the last 12 months. UH is now making Magseed® available at other facilities to enhance the standard of breast care in the UH system.

The Magseed® marker is the world’s first minimally-invasive surgical guidance system indicated to mark any soft tissue and long-term implantation.

Magseed® is a small, non-radioactive seed, smaller than a grain of rice, that helps surgeons locate impalpable breast cancer.

Traditional hookwire methods require an additional visit to Radiology on the day of surgery, which can lead to delays in the OR. Furthermore, these techniques are often inefficient, invasive, inconvenient and can be uncomfortable for the patient.

UH is dedicated to providing the highest quality of treatment for its patients and consistently strive for outstanding clinical outcomes. UH aims to maintain a positive experience for the patient from mammogram through to diagnosis and treatment, while supporting its physicians by supplying the most advanced diagnostic tools to ensure that the clinical care they provide is considered and delivered with confidence.

UH started using Magseed at UH Seidman Cancer Center, UH Cleveland Medical Center and UH Ahuja Medical Center in March 2017 and is now making this technique available at more sites across the UH system, allowing all patients to experience the benefits.

Dr Donna Plecha, Director, Breast Imaging, Mammography at UH Cleveland Medical Center and Director, Breast Imaging at UH Seidman Cancer Center, said: "We’ve been using Magseed for nearly a year and can already see efficiency improvements in Radiology, and a better experience for our patients. Magseed allows us to mark the tumour at the same time as their pre-operative surgical clinic appointment, saving them an additional visit to the hospital, and by expanding Magseed availability across the UH system, we allow our patients the freedom to choose the UH facility that’s most convenient for them."

Jenna Hundorfean, Manager, Breast Health Services at UH Cleveland Medical Center, said: "The start time in the OR sets the tone for the day. Wires often result in delays in Radiology, placing pressure on staff to keep successive surgeries on schedule. With Magseed, the Radiology department isn’t under pressure to get patients to the operating theatre in the morning, meaning we can start on time. Magseed decouples radiology and surgery, allowing the surgical day schedule to run independently of radiology procedures. Each surgical procedure also takes less time, resulting in increased efficiency, productivity and an improved experience for our patients."

Dr Jill Dietz, Director of Breast Center Operations and Associate Professor of Surgery at UH Cleveland Medical Center, said: "Magseed offers significant advantages for both patient and surgeon. I am confident that it will enable UH to achieve its objectives, to build trusting patient-physician partnerships and improve clinical outcomes by providing the best possible care available. Not only is Magseed more likely to remove all the cancerous tissue, reducing the need for additional surgeries but in some patients, there is the option of choosing where to place the incision, allowing for a better cosmetic outcome."