Are We Off the Hook? An Update in Breast Localisation Trends

Area of Science:

• Breast surgery
• Surgical oncology
• Medical device technology

Background:

• Hookwire localisation (HWL) is the established standard for impalpable breast lesion localisation.
• A 2016 study identified HWL as the most prevalent breast lesion localisation technique (LLT) among Australian and New Zealand surgeons.
• Emerging non-wire techniques aim to overcome HWL limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate current trends in breast lesion localisation techniques (LLTs) in Australia and New Zealand.
• To compare contemporary LLT usage with findings from a 2016 study.
• To identify factors influencing the choice of breast lesion localisation methods.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was distributed to national Breast Conference attendees.
• The survey was conducted between March 25 and April 21, 2023.
• 100 complete responses were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Hookwire localisation (HWL) was used by 95% of respondents, and 73% cited it as their most used LLT.
• Non-wire techniques like Magseed (30%) and Carbon-track (26%) show increasing adoption.
• Radioguided techniques saw a significant increase in use from 4% to 13% since 2016 (p=0.036).

Conclusions:

• Hookwire localisation (HWL) continues to be the dominant breast lesion localisation technique.
• There is a notable increase in the utilization of non-wire localisation techniques.
• Factors such as surgeon familiarity and cost significantly impact the selection of breast lesion localisation methods.