MAGNETIC MAGIC
Dr. Jeanie Kanashiro uses magnets to treat breast cancer. She and nine other Calgary surgeons are part of Sentimag, a pilot project set to make breast cancer surgery less invasive, stressful, and time-consuming. Sentimag aims to show the efficacy of an all-in-one breast cancer technology of the same name that uses magnetic localization to detect and improve the accuracy of tumour removal. With Sentimag, a radiologist implants a magnet called a Magseed at a tumour or lymph node site. A surgeon then uses a magnetic- sensing probe to locate the site to remove the cancer. The implantation can happen at biopsy, before cancer is even diagnosed. This means greater surgical accuracy. And for patients, Sentimag also means fewer medical visits, fewer invasive procedures, less pain and stress, and the removal of less breast tissue. Sentimag, a groundbreaking pilot project using magnets, transforms breast cancer surgery for the better. By Kimberley McNeil
A Magseed magnet is similar in size to a grain of rice.
So far, the project clearly demonstrates this approach works well. Kanashiro and her team surpassed their allotted number of Magseeds in year one of the three-year pilot — a development that took them by surprise. “We based our estimates on prior wire usage,” she explains. Hook wires, devices that protrude from the breast, have been used as standard of care to mark cancerous lesions for decades. “We’ve far surpassed that number due in large part to the technology’s versatility. It’s useful in more scenarios than we anticipated, plus patients who wouldn’t have chosen seed implantation before are now asking for it.” Magseed is ideal for challenging cases where multiple tumours are present. Three tumours typically meant the implantation of three hook wires into the breast. Or the patient could opt for a full mastectomy, a much more drastic approach to cancer removal. Now, thanks to Sentimag, women can avoid wires altogether, experience a less stressful surgery experience, and see their breasts preserved. “The technology is phenomenal. Not only does it allow a surgeon to more accurately locate and remove cancer lesions, but it also allows more women to keep their breasts,” proclaims Kanashiro. The Sentimag team can also offer reconstructive surgery to avoid any breast lopsidedness, a common result of breast cancer surgery. “We can match the look of the healthy breast to the affected breast,” explains Kanashiro. “Imagine a person who wouldn’t have otherwise had a reconstruction as a private procedure due to the cost or the required downtime. Now she can have everything addressed at the same time.” With Sentimag’s success, Calgary is now the leader of the technology in Western Canada. Thanks to the pilot, Winnipeg and hubs in British Columbia have since started to offer magnetic localization breast cancer surgery. Made possible through the support of Calgary Health Foundation donors and a significant gift from Alberta Cancer Foundation, Sentimag is set to transform breast-preserving cancer surgery. As Kanashiro affirms, “to have donors help us to enact a new standard of care for patients, that’s powerful.”
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To support the Sentimag project, contact fundraising@calgaryhealthfoundation.ca.
Dr. Jeanie Kanashiro
Breakthroughs [ Fall 2025 ]
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