Merit Oncology Wishes You Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year | Dec 2023

As we wrap up 2023, we want to highlight two of our renown Key Opinion Leaders that have made an impact in their community to help reduce the burden cancer places on patients and their loved ones.

Mercy Cedar Rapids featuring Vince Reid, MD, held a record-breaking Race Against Breast Cancer event with over 16,500 participants!

This event "supports and honors those who have fought the disease, as well as those individuals currently battling cancer,” said Dr. Vincent Reid, medical director at Hall-Perrine Cancer Center. “Our goal is to celebrate the amazing sense of community that our race represents, while we continue to raise funds for breast care and gynecological cancer services.” - Vince Reid, MD

Ralph Corsetti, MD, was featured in Tulane Cancer Center’s eNewsletter: New MRI-Guided Wireless Tumor Localization Revolutionizing Breast Conservation Surgery at Tulane

Many women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer opt for breast-conserving surgery or lumpectomy. For those whose tumors are nonpalpable – not able to be felt – pre-operative localization of the tumor is necessary so the surgeon can find and remove the cancerous tissue.

Image-guided wire localization (WGL) – involving the placement of an external wire into the tumor – was once the preferred technique. However, this option presents several challenges. "Patient stress and discomfort are chief among them," said Ralph Corsetti, MD, the Edward G. Schleider Chair in Surgical Oncology. "The patient would have to undergo a separate pre-operative procedure on the day of surgery during which a wire would be inserted into the breast and guided to the tumor by the radiology team." The surgeon would later follow this wire during surgery and remove the tumor and any affected adjoining tissue.

Having to undergo multiple procedures on the same day, limitations in movement from the time the wire is place until the surgical procedure begins, and the visual of an external wire are all challenges for patients who undergo this localization technique. Wires can also migrate, making it difficult to remove all of the cancerous tissue and possibly setting up the need for a second surgery.

Additionally, same-day wire localization requires coordination of schedules for both the radiology and surgical teams, often resulting in delays in procedure start times. And it limits the ability of the surgeon to pre-plan his surgical approach.

Over the last decade, alternatives to WGL have emerged. “There are several wireless technologies; all of them have pros and cons,” said Corsetti. “The one we have been using for the past five years – the Savi Scout? – has the most pros and the fewest cons.”?

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Merit Oncology is thankful for your support in our mission of reducing the burden cancer places on patients and their loved ones. We want to express our sincere gratitude for standing by our side on this meaningful journey. See you in 2024!