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Donors support better outcomes for regional breast cancer patients

 

Thanks to generous community support, St John of God Bunbury Hospital has become the first hospital in Western Australia to introduce and use Magseed technology to provide advanced treatment for regional breast cancer patients.

The Magseed is a tiny 5mm magnetic device - as small as one rice grain - that is used as a marker to help surgeons more accurately identify and remove cancerous tumours.

Magseed technology - Dr Marcus Ong, Vicki and CEO Jeffrey Williams

St John of God Bunbury Hospital specialist breast surgeon Dr Marcus Ong said the device enhances surgical accuracy to leave more healthy tissue and can greatly improve a patient’s treatment experience.

“Using the Magseed can reduce a patient’s anxiety on the day of surgery, which can result in better outcomes. Traditionally, we have used a hook wire as a marker, which protrudes from the skin and can be quite confronting.”

The Magseed technology was fully funded with donations to St John of God Foundation, and has been supporting regional patients to access advanced care closer to home since February 2020.

St John of God Bunbury Hospital Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Williams said the device was symbolic of the hospital’s goal of providing the best clinical service to the community. “The introduction of the Magseed is an important step for breast cancer patients in the South West of Western Australia as they now have access to the latest technology”.

We are proud to be able to provide use of the device on around 70 patients per year and would like to thank the St John of God Foundation donors for helping us to implement this new technology.
Jeffrey Williams, St John of God Bunbury Hospital Chief Executive Officer

Generous community support to St John of God Bunbury Hospital helps fund new medical technologies like the Magseed to provide advanced cancer care for regional patients.

If you would like to further support your local St John of God Hospital, please contact us to discuss your ideas.

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