A german study comparing standard wire localization with magnetic seed localization of non-palpable breast lesions

Abstract

Background: Exact localization of non-palpable breast lesions is necessary to ensure that the correct lesion is removed. Conventional methods come with several disadvantages. Patients and Methods: We compared 28 patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery for a non-palpable lesion. By surgeon choice, 14 patients were assigned to undergo magnetic seed localization and 14 underwent standard wire localization. The primary outcome was the operative time, and secondary outcome was the patient pain level. Results: The mean age was 52±10 (SD) years in the seed arm, and 55±13 years in the wire arm. The median time from skin incision to tumor extraction was not significantly different between the two groups. Patients in the wire localized group significantly more often reported pain during coughing/breathing, movement, and sleep. Conclusion: Using seed localization at Charité Breast Center did not lead to a significant decrease in operative time but might allow time savings once established, while increasing patient comfort and reducing organizational burden.