NEWS RELEASE
ROYAL VICTORIA REGIONAL HEALTH CENTRE
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Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), the home of the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre and its innovative oncoplastic surgery department, has adopted the MOLLI device — a precise, easy-to-use new technology for breast cancer surgery.
According to Dr. Renee Hanrahan, a Canadian leader in oncologic and oncoplastic/reconstructive breast surgery at RVH, MOLLI has many benefits that make it an excellent choice for operating rooms anywhere — from academic centres in large cities to community hospitals in smaller regions.
“First, we know that about 80 per cent of breast cancer surgeries are performed outside of academic centres and take place mainly in health centres like ours. Having a technology that is easy to implement and inherently easy to learn makes it simpler and faster for surgeons to incorporate it into practice,” said Hanrahan. “Second, MOLLI is not only intuitive, but it also allows for greater precision when choosing an incision site, which is important for an oncologic and esthetic outcome and from an efficacy standpoint. And third, MOLLI helps create flexibility and efficiency in scheduling surgeries, which in turn eases surgical backlogs.”
MOLLI features the smallest localization marker on the market and is designed to give a better patient experience over traditional wire localization. The MOLLI Wand detects the marker and visualizes its location on a tablet, helping surgeons locate lesions more efficiently with improved accuracy. The marker is implanted by a radiologist up to 30 days before surgery. The technology has also been designed to be compatible with conventional mammography and ultrasound imaging, facilitating a smooth transition into hospitals.
“This is a great benefit for women as it allows for convenient timing of marker placement when it best suits our patients,” says Dr. Drew Schemmer, medical director/chief of medical imaging at RVH. “The surgeons are able to determine the most esthetically pleasing approach to remove the target within 30 days of their surgery.”
MOLLI gives surgeons more flexibility to make incisions where they want to reduce visible scars. Being wire-free without radioactive technology also means hospitals avoid expensive equipment and extensive safety regulations around radiation and disposal protocols, making MOLLI accessible to smaller regional health centres as well as large urban ones.
“We are excited and honoured to be part of the work Dr. Hanrahan is doing at RVH,” said Fazila Seker, PhD, president and CEO of MOLLI Surgical Inc. “We know that greater precision equals more surgical options for patients, which is why we’re delighted to see our device in the hands of a skilled oncoplastic surgeon as she makes a difference in the lives of people living with breast cancer both in her community, and beyond.”
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