Manitoba has become the first province to implement a groundbreaking technology known as magnetic seed localization for breast cancer surgeries. The announcement was made by Uzoma Asagwara, the Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care.
The technology is expected to enhance patient comfort and care during the treatment process. “Our government is enabling cutting-edge technology to make care more comfortable and less invasive,” said Asagwara. “We’re the first jurisdiction to use this technology provincewide, which allows care providers to pinpoint cancer tissue in a less intrusive way ahead of surgery.”
Previously, Manitoba, like other provinces, used metal wires inserted into a patient’s breast to identify the location of early breast cancer during surgery. This process could be uncomfortable and required a painful injection of a radioactive tracer to mark lymph nodes that may be biopsied to check on the spread of the cancer.
The province has invested $2.1 million this year to develop a program that uses small metal seeds to locate cancer tissue more accurately during surgery. The seeds, about the size of a grain of rice, are magnetized to allow surgeons to easily find them. This process reduces discomfort and allows more breast cancer surgeries to occur outside Winnipeg.
The investment is also expected to open 400 nuclear medicine appointments per year that are normally reserved for breast cancer surgery patients. This technology will improve scheduling efficiencies for radiology and allow for improved utilization of operating room schedules.
Tania D’Amato, executive director of provincial breast health operations, Shared Health, said, “The investment in magnetic seed localization will greatly enhance patient experience for individuals with breast cancer, with surgeons using the latest technology to provide care to those who need it.”
Dr. Pamela Hebbard, breast cancer surgeon and head of surgical oncology, CancerCare Manitoba, expressed delight at the availability of this technology for Manitobans. “It’s a better patient experience, helps to assist care close to home and even provides for efficiencies in our operating room schedules,” she said.
Approximately 900 Manitobans are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Gail Styck, a patient who had metal wires inserted into her breast prior to a lumpectomy performed in December 2023, welcomed the move to magnetic seed localization. “I think it’s a wonderful thing that Manitoba is moving on from using those wires because it means other patients won’t have to deal with that pain anymore,” she said.
For more information on breast cancer, visit the Shared Health MB Breast Health Centre.
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