Dartmouth Cancer Center Research Shows Improved Treatment Outcomes for Breast Cancer Patients Using New Technology

The Dartmouth Cancer Center Comprehensive Breast Program at Cheshire Medical Center joined 22 other hospitals worldwide in testing a new approach to breast-conservation cancer surgery (lumpectomy) that could make treatment more precise and effective for patients.

Researchers studied the Breast Cancer Locator (BCL) System and compared it to conventional methods used to locate a tumor for lumpectomy surgery. Trials found that the BCL did a significantly better job in enabling surgeons to remove the complete tumor, leaving no cancer at the edge of the excision, and therefore reducing the need for second surgeries. Despite the best efforts, with currently available lumpectomy techniques, cancer is left behind in about 20-25% of lumpectomies across the U.S. each year. A second surgery is then required to remove it completely.

Results of the study were presented at the 2026 annual meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons.

“Breast cancers commonly have an irregular shape, and this study was designed to determine if giving the surgeon a more precise image of the tumor size and shape using a customized guidance device might enable more successful surgeries. The BCL technology enabled us to define the precise location and boundaries of even the most difficult tumors, and to view tumors in 3D before and during surgery. This detailed tumor ‘blueprint’ is information that has been missing with other methods until now,” said H.E. Guy Burman, MD, section chief of general surgery and director of Dartmouth Cancer Center’s Cheshire Comprehensive Breast Program. “We are pleased to be part of this important research, which demonstrates our commitment to fighting and treating breast cancer in every person who needs care.”

Clinical Trial Highlights

The BCL Trial involved 418 patients in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Austria with non-palpable invasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) treated with the BCL System or with conventional “wire localization” to identify tumor location.

In the study, when compared to conventional wire localization, the BCL System demonstrated:

·    34% fewer re-excisions, or second surgeries
·    32% improvement in rate of cancer being found at the edge of the excision following surgery, known as positive margin rate (PMR), across all patients
·    Comparable safety profile

The BCL System uses an MRI taken with the patient lying face-up, in the same position as surgery, to obtain the most accurate view of the tumor shape, size, and location. The BCL System is then 3D-printed using the MRI imaging data to create a customized, breast-shaped device matching the unique shape of a patient’s breast and unique location and shape of the tumor. At the start of surgery, the BCL is placed on a patient’s breast and a surgeon uses ports in the device to guide them to the precise tumor margins during excision. The tumor is also viewable in 3D before and during surgery.

The BCL is considered an investigational device in the U.S. and is limited by U.S. law to investigational use only.

Cheshire Medical Center is a member of Dartmouth Health.