Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital introduces advanced technology for finding and removing breast cancer

There are three components to this advanced technology:

• The Sentimag® system which allows surgeons to localise suspicious tumours for further analysis and also stage cancer, works together with two types of cancer markers – the Magseed® marker and the Magtrace®lymphatic tracer
• The Magseed® marker is a small seed about the size of a grain of rice. It’s placed into non-palpable cancerous tissue to pinpoint the location of the cancer. The previous standard of care for this procedure was called a guidewire, which can be an uncomfortable procedure for patients and can also extend the time they spend in hospital on the day of surgery
• The Magtrace® lymphatic tracer is an iron-oxide based liquid that’s designed to assess the potential spread of cancer to the lymph nodes. It’s injected into the breast any time up to a month ahead of surgery for procedures called sentinel lymph node biopsies. This tracer liquid travels to lymph nodes that are most likely to be affected by cancer and marks those nodes for surgical removal. Once the node has been removed, it will then be analysed to assess whether further treatment is needed.

Used alongside both the Magseed® marker and Magtrace® lymphatic tracer, the Sentimag® system works like a metal detector on the skin’s surface to help locate the target tissue, marked by either the Magseed or Magtrace.

Consultant surgeons at Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital have been using the Sentimag® system since January this year and patients receive one-to-one physiotherapy as part of their recovery.

Pictured here to the right with the Sentimag® system are Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital Theatre Manager – Kerry Tannahill and Clinical Leader – John Clements.

“The Sentimag® system offers more precision and less invasive procedures which will benefit our patients and improve their quality of life after cancer surgery,” says Mr Jaroslaw Krupa, Consultant Breast and Oncoplastic Surgeon at Nuffield Health Leicester.

“As a surgeon, Magseed® allows me to access tiny impalpable breast cancers with precision and remove them with less scarring for my patients and it reduces the chance of unnecessary surgery,” says Miss Monika Kaushik, Consultant Breast and Oncoplastic Surgeon at Nuffield Health.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in the UK, with 56,987 new cases in 20191. Three in 10 new cases of cancer in women in 2019 was breast cancer (30.1%). Breast cancer is rare in men, with around 400 new cases diagnosed each year in the UK.

NHS screening programmes led to cancers being detected in 18,942 women across England in 2022-23, which otherwise may not have been diagnosed and treated until a later stage.

Alison Bain, Health Systems Director at Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital says: 

“As part of our purpose to build a healthier local community, we are investing in this advanced technology, so we can support more people undergoing breast cancer treatment. 

“The Sentimag® system offers innovative support to our consultant surgeons and our hospital team are seeing the benefits for our patients, with faster recovery times.”

"The adoption of the Sentimag system marks a revolutionary step forward in patient care, providing the highest standard of treatment available for the community of Leicester. It’s exciting to see that our technology, already proven in over 45 countries and benefiting over 500,000 patients worldwide, is now set to elevate healthcare and the patient experience closer to home,” says Eric Mayes, Chief Executive Officer of Endomag

• ¹Cancer statistics based on combined data from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. World Cancer Research Fund, 2022.
• For interviews and more information, please contact Peter Donelan at Nuffield Health at peter.donelan1@nuffieldhealth.com or on 07771 980 349.
• More images are available on request

About Nuffield Health
Driven by our purpose to build a healthier nation, our experts have been working together for more than 65 years to make the nation fitter, healthier, happier and stronger.

Nuffield Health provides health and wellbeing for every part of you. We believe that the best healthcare should help prevent illness by looking after mind and body. That’s why our connected health and wellbeing offering spans physical and mental health – from providing mental health support or hospital care and treatment to personal training, health assessments, GP services and physiotherapy.

We work together as a team to help you achieve your health and wellbeing ambitions, championing free health and wellbeing programmes in local communities by giving more people the tools they need to live a healthy life. These programmes help people understand and improve their own health, from those living with joint pain, to helping rehabilitate people experiencing the long-term effects from COVID-19. Find out more about us and our pioneering models of care: https://www.nuffieldhealth.com or follow us on  Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn

About Endomag
Endomag believes everyone deserves a better standard of cancer care. That’s why we design our magnetic technologies with both the clinician and patient in mind. Many leading hospitals across the world use our unique solutions to help breast cancer patients avoid surgery when it isn’t needed, and experience better outcomes when it is. 

At the heart of the company’s technologies is the Sentimag® localisation system. The Sentimag® system features a probe which works like a metal detector. When it is placed near the skin’s surface, it can detect Endomag’s magnetic seed marker (Magseed®) and liquid tracer (Magtrace®), for accurate lesion localisation and sentinel lymph node biopsy procedures. 

Endomag’s technologies have already helped 500,000+ women worldwide to access more precise, and minimally invasive breast cancer treatment.

Last updated Thursday 20 June 2024

First published on Thursday 20 June 2024