According to The American Cancer Society, breast cancer diagnoses continue to increase by .5% each year - that’s more than 297,000 new diagnoses annually.¹ These statistics drive employees at Stryker to work with clinicians to develop solutions for breast cancer patients.

The SPY Portable Handheld Imager (SPY-PHI) is a device that is used in plastic, microsurgical, reconstructive and gastrointestinal procedures to help surgeons see more during surgery. It’s recently been cleared for use in breast cancer surgery, and the device utilizes what’s called ‘near-infrared fluorescence imaging technology’ to help surgeons map and visualize lymph nodes present in breast tissue.^2,3

“Everyone knows someone who’s had breast cancer or is currently fighting the disease,” says Brent Ladd, President of Stryker’s Endoscopy Business. “When we spoke to surgeons, we learned that they wanted to see more of the anatomy during breast cancer surgery. It’s a process called lymphatic mapping. The SPY device is an important advancement in breast cancer treatment, in combination with Stryker’s SPY AGENT GREEN, as it helps surgeons visualize and locate the sentinel lymph node, which may provide the surgeon additional information about whether more invasive breast surgery is necessary.”

The SPY device also helps surgeons determine if they can remove fewer lymph nodes during surgery. The removal of too many lymph nodes has been associated with potential postoperative complications that can impact a breast cancer patient’s quality of life.⁴ Such complications can include lymphedema, shoulder and arm dysfunction and seroma formation.⁴

“To know that the use of SPY may help a surgeon improve outcomes means that someone’s friend, sister, mom or grandmother can look forward to more time with those they love,” said Brent. “That’s what our work is all about.”

If you have questions about lymphatic mapping in breast cancer surgery, talk to your doctor.