Making Breast Cancer Surgery Easier For Patients
In seeking a more compassionate and precise approach to breast cancer tumor localization, Oswego Health has adopted the SCOUT ® wire-free radar localization system. Radar has been used for decades when precision is vital to success. It is an efficient and precise approach to localization and surgical guidance and helps surgeons remove tumors with greater confidence.
Prior to SCOUT, the most common approach for localizing breast tumors was wire localization. With wire localization, a radiologist would place a thin, hooked wire through the skin to the tumor location. The surgeon would then use the wire to locate the tumor for removal. This procedure would be done on the day of surgery; because the time between the wire placement and surgery can be several hours, this added procedure can be the cause of added worry, discomfort and a long day of surgery for patients.
The SCOUT Radar Localization system is a game changing technology which is both FDA cleared and CE Marked and has been featured in over 45 clinical publications. The system uses a zero-radiation approach to localizing breast tumors, biopsy sites and lymph nodes and has been clinically proven in multiple studies. SCOUT uses a unique radar signal to detect a tiny reflector—the size of a grain of rice—that can be placed at any time during the course of treatment and at the patients’ convenience. It is uniquely suited for placement at time of biopsy for highly suspicious lesions.
During the surgical procedure, the surgeon scans the breast using the SCOUT Guide to locate the reflector precisely and efficiently to within 1mm of accuracy. The ability to precisely locate tumors increases the probability of complete cancer removal and reduces the likelihood of needing follow-up
surgeries—a huge advantage for early-state breast cancer patients. In addition, the ability to strategically plan the incision may result in better cosmetic outcomes.
For patients who require neoadjuvant therapy prior to surgery, SCOUT is used to effectively localize the tumor and lymph nodes before the therapy starts. As the tumor shrinks, SCOUT will still accurately pinpoint the location for removal when it is time for surgery. Since the SCOUT reflector does not leave an artifact on imaging studies, it can be used with any type of imaging over the course of a patient’s care.
To learn more about compassionate breast cancer care at Oswego Health and to see if SCOUT wire-free radar localization is right for you, please call 315-349-5540.