Global Tc-99m shortages: Where does this leave breast cancer staging?

In recent weeks, the shutdown of the HFR reactor, along with other planned maintenance on reactors that produce Molybdenum-99, resulted in significant production issues for the supply of key materials used in the treatment of breast cancer. 

One area that has been particularly affected by this is cancer staging, which relies heavily on the radioactive solution of Technetium-99m. 

Without access to Technetium-99m, hospitals are faced with a choice to make – rely solely on blue dye lymphatic tracers such as Methylene Blue, which have been shown to be less accurate at detecting lymph nodes or consider an emerging magnetic solution called Magtrace.  

Made from the simple ingredients of iron oxide, sugar, salt and water, the Magtrace® lymphatic tracer is a non-inferior alternative to the ‘Gold Standard’ combination of Technetium-99m and Blue Dye, and offers significant logistical benefits to hospitals. 

Magtrace can be stored easily, and when it’s time for use can be injected by breast care nurses, radiologists or even the surgeon themselves.

It bypasses the need for nuclear medicine involvement and allows the tracer to be injected days or weeks ahead of the surgery, which helps to streamline scheduling.

As uncertainty continues to build around the long-term viability of radioactive solutions, it appears that this magnetic approach, already recommended by the UK’s National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE), could be at the forefront of the next frontier for breast cancer staging.

Learn more about Magtrace at endomag.com