Dune Medical Devices, Ltd. has launched a crucial clinical trial of the MarginProbe™, the company’s intra-operative, real-time, positive margin detection system. The launch follows the investigational device exemption (IDE) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of its protocol during surgery for breast cancer. To determine how malignant the tumor margins are, the MarginProbe system uses Radio Frequency Spectroscopy to characterize breast tissue. A controlled trial concluded that application of the probe by surgeons during lumpectomy reduced the need for repeat surgeries by 56%.

Researchers at Shinshu University School of Medicine have developed a technique to take out the entire mammary gland including early-stage breast cancer without damaging the skin of breast. Many patients abandon breast-conserving surgery because of multiple tumors. However, this method prevents breast deformity, facilitating such patients. The procedure assisted by endoscopy can carry out skin-sparing mastectomy, while providing desired appearance.