Surgical Gel May Mimic Signs of Early Breast Cancer

Specks Look Like Micro-Calcifications That Sometimes Indicate Early Breast Cancer

IMS Observations    
If you have had breast surgery and the surgeon used a common gel to stop bleeding when sutures or staples are insufficient or impractical, we encourage you to consider Infrared Mammograms as an alternative to X-Ray Mammograms in your breast health plan.  Infrared Mammography uses a detection method that is not fooled by the micro-calcifications like residue left by the surgical gel.  In addition, Infrared Mammography can detect breast cancer up to 8 years before a traditional X-Ray Mammogram without any painful breast compressions for imaging.


Forbes.com - April 17, 2009
A gel sometimes used to stop bleeding during surgery can be mistaken for signs of early breast cancer on mammograms, say U.S. researchers.

Their study looked at seven women whose follow-up mammograms revealed suspicious white specks within one to six months after they'd had surgery for breast cancer, United Press International reported.

The specks looked liked micro-calcifications that sometimes indicate early breast cancer, said Dr. Kathleen Ward, a radiologist at Loyola University Health System, and colleagues.  But the specks were actually caused by FloSeal, a gel sometimes used to stop bleeding when sutures or staples aren't sufficient or are impractical.

The findings suggest that FloSeal should not be used during breast surgery, said study co-author Dr. Richard Cooper, UPI reported.

The study was published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Source Link    
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/hscout/2009/04/17/hscout626198.html