A New Local Treatment Option for Breast Cancer Patients 🎗

  • Spring 2023
Breast Cancer Doctor

With breast conserving surgery at Brookings Health System, early-stage breast cancer patients have one less medical treatment far from home. Using the SAVI SCOUT surgical guidance system, General Surgeon Dr. Sara Marroquin and the local surgery team removes only cancerous breast tissue. The breast sparing technique, also called lumpectomy, offers the same survival rate as the full breast removal procedure, mastectomy.

Sara Marroquin, MD, MPH
General Surgeon Dr. Sara Marroquin
SAVI SCOUT is an FDA-approved radar localization technology that pinpoints tumors before surgery to treat breast cancer. A reflector, about the size of a grain of rice, is placed in the tumor by a radiologist up to 30 days before surgery. The reflector is passive until activated when safe, nonradioactive radar waves are used to detect it within the breast. By seeing exactly where the tumor is ahead of surgery, a surgeon can go straight to the abnormality and more precisely and effectively remove the entire tumor with smaller incisions. The technology also increases the likelihood of complete tumor removal.

SAVI SCOUT decreases the amount of time a patient spends in the hospital. Traditionally the morning of surgery, a radiologist placed a wire in the tumor that would stick out of a women’s breast. The wire helped the surgeon locate the tumor, but it would cause discomfort and restrict movement, often for several hours. In some cases, the wire would move away from the tumor, making it difficult to remove all of the cancerous tissue, possibly requiring a second surgery. SAVI SCOUT’s reflector eliminates wire location, making the procedure less painful and allowing for a quicker recovery.

The goal of breast conserving surgery is to save the breast. It is often the medically recommended choice for those diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Women maintain more normal-looking breasts by limiting the amount of healthy breast tissue removed, giving a better cosmetic result. Treating patients physically with a breast sparing technique also helps them emotionally. By saving the breast, a patient is better able to maintain her sense of self and identity.

Having breast surgery at Brookings Health benefits a patient and her support team financially with less time and money spent on travel. In addition, familiar, friendly faces on the care team deliver compassionate and personalized care, treating the patient like family. Plus, a patient is still connected with other cancer services, including cancer navigation, oncology and radiation. Having her procedure at Brookings Health adds part of the comfort and convenience of home to a woman’s breast cancer journey.

Learn more about breast conserving surgery at Brookings Health online at brookingshealth.org/BreastSurgery.

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