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Magtrace?

Has anyone here had a magtrace done instead of sentinel lymph node biopsy? I'm scheduled for bilateral mx at the end of this month. They're doing the slnb on my left, since that side has invasive cancer, but on the right where they've found only DCIS the doctor has mentioned doing a magtrace instead. She says this will leave open the lymph node biopsy option if they find anything else in the right after they've done the full pathology.

I'm kind of wondering if this will make me set off metal detectors after? Anyone have experience to share? I searched the forums and don't see mentions.There are lots of articles but I haven't found anyone who's had the experience. Here's one about this method: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0748798318314677

Comments

  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 5,308
    edited August 2023

  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 5,308
    edited August 2023

    Tried to make your link live but it’s not allowing that 🤷🏻‍♀️.
    This is fascinating and completely new to me. I don’t recall seeing anyone post about this before, though it’s possible. Best of luck if you go this route and please update when you can. Take care

  • kalla
    kalla Member Posts: 8
    edited August 2023
  • morchella
    morchella Member Posts: 3

    Just bumping this up. This is EXACTLY what I was hoping for — some way to map the sentinel lymph nodes for long enough for pathology to check for invasive cancer. Has anyone had this procedure?

    I was recently diagnosed with high grade ER/PR+ DCIS in my left breast (via mammogram and stereotactic biopsy,) and am opting for a bilateral mastectomy in hopes of being able to avoid radiation and hormone therapy.

    My preliminary treatment plan is bilateral mastectomy with a sentinel node biopsy on the left side.

    But I am stressing at the thought of not having a sentinel node biopsy on the right side in case the right breast happens to end up having invasive cancer.

    And I'm also stressing about having a sentinel node biopsy at all if it isn't actually needed (due to the small risk of lymphedema.)

    Any info would be greatly appreciated.

  • moderators
    moderators Posts: 8,679

    Hello @morchella, and welcome to the BC.org community! It's great to have you here, though we're sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis.

    While we may not have specific information on Magtrace, we're sure there are other community members who may have experience with it or can provide valuable insights into the procedure you're considering. Meanwhile, feel free to ask any questions or share more about your journey. We wish you the best of luck as you make your treatment decisions, and thank you for bumping this discussion!

    The Mods

  • thrifty1
    thrifty1 Member Posts: 15

    Hi @morchella and @kalla I just had the MagTrace injection yesterday as well and wondered if either of you experienced any pain in that breast afterwards? The procedure itself was pretty painless. I had a headache all evening and was up biggest share of the night with pain. I am scheduled for a bilateral mastectomy in two days. Yes, very nervous! This is my second battle of breast cancer. I’m 52, and my first battle was 9 years ago. Would love to hear others who recently had bilateral mastectomy and how it went for them. Good and the bad. I want to be as prepared as can be. I’ve been reading a lot of the forums on it as well. I am so thankful for this site as it has a ton of information and tips from others. Thank you all!

  • morchella
    morchella Member Posts: 3

    Hello! I didn't get the MagTrace injection until I was already asleep in the OR, so I can't help with that question. Fortunately, my pathology confirmed only DCIS, so I did not need any lymph nodes removed. (If pathology had shown invasive cancer, I would have had to then do the sentinel node biopsy in a separate procedure.)

    My DMX to flat surgery was almost 6 weeks ago and I am feeling almost all the way back to normal. The first 2 weeks were rough, but things progressively improved after that. (Everything went as well as it could; I think I just underestimated the whole thing. Everyone said how they only needed Advil and Tylenol, which was the case for me too. So I didn't have excruciating pain, but so much more discomfort and anxiety than I had anticipated.)

    Sending you good thoughts for your upcoming surgery and recovery. It sucks, but it is do-able!

  • thrifty1
    thrifty1 Member Posts: 15

    Happy to hear yours ended up not invasive, and pain was not to bad for you. Mine ended up being invasive, so now I am having to go back in this Tuesday, 20th for the lymph node removal. I am not ready yet for another surgery and I am really contiplating about having my expanders removed and just going flat and just move on.