KHSC’s MOLLI sets a new standard for precise, less invasive cancer care.
On Sept. 15, Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) announced the acquisition of MOLLI Surgical online, a magnetic seed marker system, which promises to replace the uncomfortable traditional wire-based system with greater precision, comfort, and fewer repeat surgeries for breast cancer patients in Kingston.
Local philanthropist and resident Stephen Sorensen donated $175,000 through the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation to support the acquisition. KHSC is currently in the process of obtaining the technology, and MOLLI is expected to be available to all breast cancer patients by the end of the year.
Initially, MOLLI Surgical was developed at Sunnybrook Research Institute by a team of researchers led by Dr. Nicole Look Hong, BScH ‘00 and Dr. Ananth Ravi, and has been nationally and internationally recognized as one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2022.
MOLLI is innovative in the way it tackles the shortcomings of the traditional techniques used by radiologists and surgeons today.
MOLLI has two components: A magnetic, metallic gold seed, called the MOLLI Marker, that is 3.2 mm in length. Since it is chemically inert, it can stay in the body for up to 30 days before the surgery, which allows the imaging process to happen in an outpatient. The second component is the MOLLI OncoPen, which essentially ‘activates’ the magnetic seed.
The Marker stays at Breast Imaging Kingston, where the radiologists are, while the OncoPen stays in the operating room, where the surgeons are.
In an interview with The Journal, Department Head of Diagnostic Radiology at both KHSC and Queen’s, Dr. Omar Islam, shared his insight on the typical breast cancer treatment procedure.
“Women who have a breast lump discovered end up having a biopsy at Breast Imaging Kingston Centre, and if that biopsy is positive, then the next step is a surgical referral,” he said. “The most common treatment is surgical removal of the lump. The lump, which can be deep in the breast sometimes, requires us to localize the lesion very accurately.”
According to Dr. Islam, there are two traditional methods used to localize the tumour within the breast tissue. “Traditionally, the patients have a wire placed in their breast to localize the lesion. Wires, as you can imagine, aren’t as eloquent and aren’t as precise as putting this 3 mm seed [MOLLI Marker] right into where the lesion is.”
He added that often, this process is painful and can be restrictive for patients. It also requires the patient to head into surgery right after localization, since the wires stick out of the breast tissue post-biopsy.
The other involves placing a radiation seed, usually containing radioactive isotopes of iodine or palladium, in the lesion. Dr. Islam noted that transporting a patient from Breast Imaging Kingston, where the imaging and localization are done, to Hotel Dieu Hospital, where the surgery takes place, becomes more complex in the presence of a radiation seed.
Dr. Islam suggests that MOLLI is a significant step forward when it comes to breast cancer treatment in terms of both improved patient care and better surgical outcomes.
“With MOLLI, the seed is completely inactive; it’s benign. It doesn’t cause any issues or pain to the patient; it does not emit any radiation and can be put in well before the surgery, which means that patients don’t have to immediately come in for the operation.”
He echoed the ease of use for surgical oncologists. “It allows us to get really close to the lesion and provides a much better opportunity to get near margins, which means no residual tumour is left behind.”
As KHSC positions itself as one of the fastest-growing robotic surgical centres in Canada, MOLLI could become a benchmark for what modern cancer treatment can be–precise, more comfortable, and less invasive.
Tags
Breast cancer, innovation, KHSC
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