Implant Improves Breast Cancer Survival, University of Michigan Study

As reported in Cancer Research, a small implantable scaffold device underneath the skin can catch cancer cells, slowing the development of metastatic tumors in organs, and permit time to intervene with therapies or surgery. This leads to improved breast cancer survival, by providing a path that will identify metastatic cancer early and be able to intervene to improve the outcomes. The implantable scaffold device can last as long as two years after implanting it under the patient’s skin, monitoring it with non-invasive imaging, and removing it if there are signs of colonization of the cancer cells. At that time, treatment could be administered.