Precision Breast Cancer Surgery

Preparing for breast tumor removal has long been uncomfortable: Patients had to tolerate under-skin wires that enabled surgeons to find lesions. But new wire-free inventions have made surgery less painful and more efficient. The smallest of these is Molli, which debuted last year after FDA approval and has since been used by over 2,500 patients. After inserting a 3.2 millimeter magnetic marking device under the skin with a needle, surgeons then locate it using a wand-like tool connected to a tablet, which details the exact location of a tumor. By pinpointing the exact tissue for removal surgeons can minimize excisions, says Ananth Ravi, co-founder, president, and CEO of Toronto-based Molli Surgical. Surgeons, he adds, don’t have to “compensate for uncertainty by taking out more tissue.”

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