In early March 2016, West Coast Surgical Oncology and the BC Cancer Agency took a major step forward to improve the care of breast cancer patients. With funds from the BC Cancer Foundation, specialized ultrasound equipment was purchased for surgeons to use during breast cancer surgery. This equipment allows real-time confirmation of the cancer site, size, and resection margins. There is strong data that the use of ultrasound reduces the number of patients who require re-excision after lumpectomy. All of our surgeons have advanced training in the use of ultrasound and will be using the equipment. Dr. Yarrow McConnell, who has already used the ultrasound for a dozen cases, says:
“This equipment allows us to fine-tune surgery – improving our ability to achieve a clean margin, often with a smaller total amount of breast tissue removed.”