A surgical oncologist at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale has developed a process to increase surgical precision in removing breast-cancer tumors that are undetectable by touch, the East Valley Tribune reports.

The procedure, developed in 2001 by Dr. Rick Gray, is currently undergoing clinical trials.

The Tribune reports that the technology utilizes a rice-size radioactive "seed" injected where a tumor has been identified in a mammogram. A surgeon can then locate the tumor by using a hand-held Geiger counter to determine exactly where an incision should be made.

The traditional procedure involves a wire passing through a patient's skin to the tumor's location. The wire must be implanted the day of surgery, which lengthens the time of the procedure, and it must hang outside a patient's body before the lumpectomy.

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For more information:

"Mayo doctor's idea fights cancer," East Valley Tribune, 8/11/2003

"Mayo improving breast cancer surgery precision," Arizona Republic, 8/18/2003

"2 devices put Mayo Clinic in the news," Arizona Daily Star, 8/21/2003