Fort Sanders Regional is first hospital in TN with new breast cancer surgery technology
The real-time imaging improves clarity for removing cancer cells and helps preserve healthy breast tissue
Covenant Health Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center recently became the first hospital in Tennessee to implement technology from Perimeter Medical Imaging Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its breast surgery operating room. The company’s Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) system provides high-resolution, real-time 3D imaging of tissue during surgery.
The edge or border of tissue removed in cancer surgery is called a “margin.” The margin is described as “negative” or “clean” if no cancer cells are found at the edge of the tissue. The margin is described as “positive” if cancer cells are found at the edge of the tissue, suggesting that all the cancer has not been removed.
With traditional technologies, breast tumor specimen margins are not able to be assessed microscopically during an operation and require evaluation by a pathologist after the surgery is completed. For this reason, results are not available until up to ten days after the surgery is complete. If margins are not cleared, the patient needs a second operation to clear the remaining cancerous tissue. The OCT system can help the breast surgeon evaluate the margins more closely in the operating room, potentially preventing the need for a second surgery. Its surgical effectiveness can also help preserve healthy breast tissue.
“We are pleased to be the first in our state to have this technology for our breast cancer patients,” said Dr. Ana Wilson, a surgical oncologist at Fort Sanders Regional. “Not only does it advance the level of care we can provide women, it also gives us confidence and peace of mind for the best pathology results.”
The new technology aims to improve surgical outcomes and patient care by enhancing the precision of surgeries with real-time imaging, margin visualization, and decision support. Meaning, the system can help surgeons make more informed decisions, potentially reducing the need for follow-up procedures.
Using the new technology, surgeons have improved accuracy and improved clarity on margin status. This in-turn impacts the patients by helping them preserve healthy breast tissue, reduce the possibility of cancer spreading, and reduce the likelihood of repeat surgeries.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, ranking only behind skin cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
Read more information about the new technology at Covenant Health.
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