Bayhealth Breast Surgeon is Among First in U.S. Using Revolutionary Breast Cancer Treatment

Bayhealth, as the region’s healthcare leader, and M. Lisa Attebery, DO, have partnered with Endomag to bring innovative cancer technologies to patients, helping to improve outcomes and the standard of cancer care in central and southern Delaware. Dr. Attebery is a fellowship- trained breast surgical oncologist affiliated with Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus who has brought the world’s only platform for both wire-free localization and radiation-free sentinel lymph node biopsy to our community. This offers a valuable new tool for local patients battling breast cancer. 

Dr. Attebery has been using Endomag’s innovative Sentimag® system to locate and remove cancerous tissue without the use of a guidewire into the patient’s breast during surgery, as has been the standard breast cancer treatment method. This involves implanting the small Magseed® device in the breast or injecting Magtrace® in the operating room days or weeks before surgery, making it convenient for patients. It also avoids the radioactive material and blue dye traditionally used as a tracer.

The Sentimag probe works like a metal detector. When placed near the skin’s surface it can detect the Magseed or Magtrace. By accurately determining cancer spread or tumor stage, this method is beneficial in guiding a patient’s treatment plan, and in some cases could potentially mean avoiding a more invasive surgery.

Dr. Attebery explained that the tracer is designed to follow the route cancer cells are most likely to take when they spread through the lymphatic system. “This enables me to precisely pinpoint cancerous nodes and perform a more targeted dissection while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible. It also gives patients a more flexible and comfortable experience without radiation exposure,” said Dr. Attebery. “The Magseed removes the need for painful wire localizations to find non-palpable breast cancers. It can be targeted when the patient is asleep using the Sentimag machine, avoiding a trip to the Radiology department, an additional mammogram, the wire and wasted time for the patient at the hospital. This is a transformational approach in treating breast cancer. Making this available to patients in our community is very gratifying.”