On Monday December 11th I went to the hospital to have my Savi Scout placed. The SAVI SCOUT^® radar localization technology to treat those who are diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer that will undergo breast cancer surgery.

SAVI SCOUT^® makes lumpectomy procedures — breast conserving surgeries where only part of the breast is removed — easier for both patients and their surgeons by accurately pinpointing tumors before surgery to treat breast cancer. By seeing exactly where the tumors are ahead of surgery, we can go straight to the abnormality during surgery and more precisely and effectively remove the entire tumor.

The FDA-approved technology may also help you maintain more normal-looking breasts by limiting the amount of healthy breast tissue removed, as well as decreasing the amount of time spent in the hospital when compared with traditional wire localization.

How does it work?

Of the nearly 175,000 women who have breast-conserving surgery each year, about 30 percent require repeat surgery because some detectable cancer cells remain after the first procedure.

Traditionally, wire localization was the preferred preoperative technique for localizing breast tumors. SAVI SCOUT^® allows you to forego a wire localization, which requires you to have a wire sticking out of your breast, often for several hours. This requires you to restrict your movements so that the wire remains in place between the time a radiologist inserts the wire the morning of surgery and when the lumpectomy occurs. Your surgeon would then follow the wire and remove your tumor. In some cases, wires can move away from your tumor, making it more difficult to remove all of the cancerous tissue. When this happens, you might need a second surgery.

Instead of wires, SAVI SCOUT^® uses a reflector that is about the size of a grain of rice. It can be placed in your tumor up to 30 days before surgery. The reflector is not externally visible, and placement does not restrict your movements. The reflector is passive until activated, when safe, nonradioactive radar waves are used to detect it within your breast. (from Penn Medicine)

My Savi Scout was placed by the same radiologist who did my Biopsy and marker clip. It was done via ultrasound because the marker clip was already there and they knew where it was. It was placed under local anesthesia and didn’t hurt much at all because he was generous with the lidocaine. Afterward, i got a band aide because I told them about the hives i had after my biopsy and they immediately said “from the steri strips?” I said I didn’t know. They said it was a very common allergy and they suggested I add it to my list of allergies.

They then sent me to outpatient testing where I got an EKG and had blood drawn. The also asked me all the normal preoperative questions and then I was ready for surgery the next day. I ran around after all of this trying to get stuff done. I got the call from the hospital after 5 pm that my arrival time was 0630!

I had trouble sleeping that night and 0630 came to early.