Dune Medical touts Results of Breast Cancer Study

Dune Medical Devices Inc. announced interim results from a study using its MarginProbe system in breast-conserving surgery for tumor removal.

The study's findings established that use of the device during surgery to remove ductal carcinoma contributes to a 50% reduction in the necessity for additional procedures to remove residual cancer.

Dune said that between 20% and 40% of breast-conserving surgery patients require a second surgery because not all cancerous tissue is removed during the first operation.

MarginProbe enables intraoperative, real-time detection of "positive margins" — the cancer found at the edges of excised breast tissue.  Positive margins indicate that cancer remains in the breast and its immediate detection enables its removal during the first operation.

The Framingham, Mass.-based company presented its findings at the 2010 German Breast Cancer Society Meeting this month.

Early this year, Dune completed a clinical trial to support U.S. market approval for the MarginProbe system.