"A new device meant to help surgeons determine in the operating room if they have removed all cancerous breast cancer tissue may help reduce repeat surgeries after lumpectomy without compromising cosmetic effects according to a new study.    The device called MarginProbe emits an electric field and senses a return signal from the tissue examined. Cancerous tissue provides a different electromagnetic signature than normal tissue the researchers explained.    This can potentially decrease having to go back to the operating room and with no real effect on your cosmetic outcome said study leader Dr. Susan Boolbol chief of breast surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.    The study of nearly  patients undergoing breastconserving surgery found little difference in the volume of tissue removed when the device was used compared to traditional detection methods.    The reality is most of the time we leave the operating room and we dont know if we have a clear margin with all cancer removed or not Boolbol said. Doctors wait for the pathology report to find that out which can take a week or two. With the new device the wait time is about five minutes.    Everything still goes through pathology Boolbol said. But the MarginProbe is another tool that might help reduce the odds of needing a subsequent surgery she said.    Boolbol is scheduled to present the findings Thursday at the American Society of Clinical Oncologys breast cancer symposium in San Francisco.    In June the radiationfree device won the blessing of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel. The FDA usually follows the advisory panels recommendations so device approval is anticipated.    For the study Boolbol and her colleagues randomly assigned  breast cancer patients to receive the MarginProbe after lumpectomy or not receive it. Of those  had early cancer known as ductal carcinoma in situ. The others had invasive cancers.    Where the device detected cancer cells near the edge or surface of the sample examined surgeons removed additional tissue in the same procedure.    Typically about  percent of lumpectomy patients need another surgery because of the difficulty distinguishing between healthy and cancerous cells in tissue around the tumor.    We looked at whether we could lower the repeat surgery rate by using this device Boolbol said. The patients were followed for two months to see if they needed a repeat surgery. For those with ductal carcinoma in situ  percent of the probe group needed a repeat surgery compared to  percent of the control group.    Among women with invasive breast cancer  percent in the device group and  percent in the comparison group required more surgery.    Looking at the volume of tissue excised the researchers said not much more tissue was removed when the device was used compared to tissue removed in the initial and subsequent surgeries among the controlgroup patients Boolbol said.    Dr. Laura Kruper director of the Cooper Finkel Womens Health Center and codirector of the breast cancer program at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte Calif. said the device looks promising. However she thinks more research is needed.    I would like to see it used in a larger population she said. If the results are repeated in larger studies it could be a welcome addition to doctors techniques she said.    The expected cost of the MarginProbe in the United States if approved is not yet known said Michael Graffeo a spokesman for its maker Dune Medical Devices. In Europe where the device is available each probe one per patient sells for about  euros or  he said. This is much less than the cost of reoperation he noted.    The device is also being studied for use with prostate cancer the company said.    Data and conclusions presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peerreviewed medical journal. More information  To learn more about breast cancer surgery visit the American Cancer Society.  SOURCES Laura Kruper M.D director Cooper Finkel Womens Health Center and codirector breast cancer program City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Duarte Calif. Susan Boolbol M.D. chief breast surgery Beth Israel Medical Center New York City Michael Graffeo spokesman Dune Medical Devices Sept.   presentation American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Symposium New York City"