Health First Lumpectomy Patient Praises Dedicated Team, Minimally Invasive Procedure and Strong Faith

MEDICA SPOTLIGHT

SAVI SCOUT serves as an implanted ‘GPS’ to precisely target breast tumors, reduce side effects and recovery time – and most of all, help patients get back to being themselves.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – When Shannon Carr was told she needed to undergo a biopsy to determine if a suspicious area discovered was breast cancer, she entrusted two things – the medical team involved in her care and her strong faith.

Health First’s Dr. Mustafa Amani informed Shannon about a new breast-scanning procedure using the SAVI SCOUT, a newer technology that zones in to find the exact location of a possible tumor.

Having this resource – and a doctor who treated her like family – led her to believe this was the path she was intended to be on.

“If God’s brought me here, then I guess there’s a reason,” Shannon recalled. “I’m going to keep leaning on my faith and whatever happens, happens. We’re going to get through this one day at a time, one step at a time.”
And so they did.

SAVI SCOUT is a new technology that pinpoints exactly where a tumor is located prior to surgery. Using a reflector approximately the same size as a grain of rice, the nonradioactive guidance technology guides the surgeon to the exact location of the tumor, like a car’s GPS, and increases the chances of complete tumor removal.

The procedure is new to Health First’s Viera Hospital but has also been available at Health First’s Cape Canaveral Hospital and Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center.

“The SAVI provides us the exact location to remove cancerous growth while preserving the rest of the architecture of the breast,” said Dr. Amani, Oncology Breast Surgeon at the Health First Cancer Institute.

“This procedure replaces the wire localization process we previously used and makes it more comfortable for patients. The reflector device is placed by a radiologist up to a month before surgery, then the Scout probe helps show me exactly where the reflector has been placed.”

Placement of the SAVI device takes approximately five minutes. Once embedded, the SAVI reflector is used to pinpoint the tumor and facilitate its removal. The surgical procedure time will vary but can usually be accomplished in approximately one hour.

The advanced technology leads to less pain and a smaller incision after the lumpectomy, compared to the previous wire method. When tumors are accurately located during the first surgery, any additional treatments can happen faster, if needed.

True Concern, Genuine Care

After being diagnosed during the initial visit, the radiologist told Shannon they could not tell if the area was cancer and recommended she choose a surgeon for a biopsy. “My first thought was, ‘Did I just hear right, is this really happening?’ Then I said, ‘OK, what’s my next step?’”

It was the SAVI SCOUT. The reflector was installed a little more than a month before Shannon’s lumpectomy. She describes it much like the poke received when getting an ear pierced.

Shannon is grateful she went through this process with Dr. Amani and his team. “They showed true concern and genuine care, then they were all so helpful when I called back. I mean, they acted like I was the only patient they had.”
She describes the recovery as having little to no pain and minimal downtime. Shannon also had no bruising and little to no swelling afterward.

She felt back to herself the third day after the lumpectomy. “It’s totally a journey, but the experience as a whole from the beginning to this point has been better than I could have expected if I had to go through something like this.”

Health First Cancer Institute offers targeted treatments with advanced technology and every member of our team is highly trained in the treatment of specific cancer types – including breast cancer, cancers of the blood and more. Health First is a not-for-profit, and life-saving technology such as SAVI SCOUT is supported in part by gifts to the Health First Foundation.

Visit HF.org or call 1.855.894.HOPE (4673) to request an appointment.

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