What is the Magtrace® lymphatic tracer?

The Magtrace® lymphatic tracer is a specialist magnetically detectable liquid which helps surgeons and radiologists in the surgical treatment of breast cancer.

It’s designed to flow through your lymphatic system and precisely locate the areas most likely to contain cancer, if it has spread from a tumour.

Once a tumour has been identified, it is important for surgeons to understand whether cancer has spread to other parts of your body, in order to determine the ‘stage’ of the disease.

The Magtrace® lymphatic tracer is used for this detection process. It is injected into your breast and then flows through vessels under the skin before collecting in lymph nodes near your underarm. This is the first place that cancer is likely to be found if it has spread beyond the initial tumour identified in your breast.

Your surgeon will trace the magnetic liquid using our Sentimag® guidance system to determine the exact location of these lymph nodes for the purposes of cancer staging.

It is injected in to your breast by your radiologist at a date arranged between you, either just before your surgery or up to 30 days beforehand. This process is short and relatively painless.

It will remain in your system for a short amount of time before clearing but will cause no harm to you.

The Magtrace® lymphatic tracer is made from iron oxide, a compound comprising of iron and oxygen, both of which exist inside your body already – meaning it’s harmless.

Specialist breast care units and large and small hospitals alike are using the Magtrace® lymphatic tracer because it has a number of benefits over traditional methods of treating breast cancers such as blue dye or radioactive isotope, which has a considerably shorter usage life.

The Magtrace® lymphatic tracer is an advanced but relatively new aid for breast cancer surgery. It’s clinically proven and now in routine use across over 40 countries around the world, having successfully treated tens of thousands of patients. Most importantly, it enables surgeons to deliver a better standard of care to their patients.

Hear from one of the experts on the benefits of using the Magtrace® lymphatic tracer in helping to improve patient care:

The Magtrace® lymphatic tracer is a tried and tested method which has achieved remarkable results for breast cancer treatment.

With a 99% lymph node detection rate, it’s unrivalled in assisting surgeons to find cancer-affected nodes, therefore providing better treatment for you.

The Magtrace® lymphatic tracer is typically used in two treatments – removing lymph nodes near the armpit and a treatment to potentially avoid needing to have any lymph node surgery.

Your physician may have already informed you of which of these treatments you require, but to find out more about each procedure – and what you can expect from start to finish – we have provided two guides below:

→ A sentinel lymph node biopsy with Magtrace® lymphatic tracer

→ A ‘delayed’ sentinel lymph node biopsy with Magtrace® lymphatic tracer