Trial reportThe British journal of surgery2025
Magnetic seed versus guidewire-based breast cancer localization with magnetic lymph node detection: cost-minimization analysis.
Trial report in The British journal of surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMagnetic seeds have comparable performance to guidewires in breast lesion localization with the advantages of shorter operating time, facilitated logistics, and higher staff satisfaction. However, the high cost of the device remains a concern and warrants health economic evaluation.
methodsThis is a predefined health economic analysis of a pragmatic RCT including 426 patients (median age of 65 (interquartile range (i.q.r.) 56-71) years, median BMI of 26.6 (i.q.r. 24.0-29.8) kg/m2, and a median tumour size of 11 (i.q.r. 8-15) mm) with non-palpable breast cancer, randomized to localization of the tumour with either a magnetic seed or a guidewire. Sentinel lymph node detection was performed using superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, enabling a totally magnetic approach. A cost-minimization analysis was conducted, from a healthcare system perspective, using unadjusted and adjusted analyses of costs.
resultsThe unadjusted analysis did not show any difference in incremental costs (guidewire €3337 versus magnetic seed €3274; difference -€63 (95% c.i. -€302 to €174); P = 0.599). The adjusted analysis, including marker, type of breast surgery performed, and single-session lesion and SLN localization, showed that the magnetic seed was associated with reduced costs (guidewire €3514 versus magnetic seed €3123; difference -€391 (95% c.i. -€422 to -€360); P = 0.002), corresponding to a 11.1% reduction. Sensitivity analyses did not change direction of outcome.
conclusionIn this predefined health economic analysis of an RCT, the use of magnetic seeds resulted in incremental cost containment, despite the increased cost of the device. Contributing factors included shorter localization time, shorter operating time, and process streamlining.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.