Breast Test Appeal
Current aims:
The Derby and Burton imaging and surgical teams have been carefully trialling several new marker systems to mark impalpable small lesions in the breast. When a very small cancer is found, especially through the national breast screening programme, it may not be possible to feel the area on clinical examination. It is therefore important to mark the site of the cancer prior to an operation, so that the surgeon can accurately remove the abnormality along with achieving an excellent cosmetic result. This has traditionally been done by placing a small wire in the breast on the morning of surgery using local anaesthetic. There are now several small markers that can be placed in the breast on a convenient day before surgery is planned and left safely until the day of surgery meaning this extra procedure is not needed on an already stressful day of surgery.
Following many months of careful work and team review and discussion , the marker ”Pintuition” has been found to work best for the local team in Derby and Burton. Work is now in progress to introduce this new way of working and is shortly to commence across the service.
Having carefully scrutinised all funding options, outright purchase is by far the most cost efficient. The breast test appeal is delighted to pump prime this new way of working by funding base units,probes and storage spaces for each site along with an initial number of pintuition seeds/markers. A business case to continue the service seamlessly within the Trust is also agreed.
Pintuition appeance on Mammogram and ultrasound guided placement of pintuition seed.
Recent equipment purchases:
CESM
CESM (contrast enhanced spectral mammography), digital breast tomography and image guided biopsy were installed on new, standard mammography units bought by the Trust at the Royal Derby hospital to make these units capable of the full range of modern breast x-ray technology. It is only recently that the same breast test appeal equipment has been added to newly installed units at the Burton breast unit, due to many delays including whether the Burton breast unit would move completely to another location (> 1.5 years of uncertainty and delay), therefore the new equipment could at last be installed and this development could finally occur. A pump injector for each site is also being funded by the breast test appeal along with a software license.
It was felt essential that this new technology and way of working was rolled out at the same time across the Derby and Burton area, giving everyone the same access to these diagnostic tools. Additionally the coronavirus years did not allow the roll out of any new technology adding further frustrating and lengthy delays.
DOnate
The aim of the Derby and Burton Breast and Eye charity is to raise funds for the purchase of new and state of the art equipment for the NHS locally. Every donation however small or large helps to make a real difference