276. Clear Margins, One Surgery: Inside Perimeter’s Game-Changing Breast Cancer Technology

Love the podcast? Send us a text!In this powerful conversation, host Laura Carfang, founder of SurvivingBreastCancer.org, sits down with Adrian Mendes, CEO of Perimeter Medical Imaging, and Dr. Allison DiPasquale, breast surgical oncologist and technology innovator. Together, they unpack one of the most anxiety-provoking moments after breast cancer surgery: “Did we get clear margins?”Today, surgical innovation is radically changing that question.Dr. DiPasquale walks listeners through the current challenges surgeons face with breast surgery, why 20–25% of patients traditionally require a second surgery, and how new real-time imaging tools are dramatically lowering that number. Mendes shares how Perimeter’s groundbreaking optical coherence tomography (OCT) and AI-powered margin assessment technology enables surgeons to visualize tissue in the operating room with near-microscopic detail—helping them achieve clear margins the first time.In this episode we discuss: What “clean margins” really mean and why they matterWhy many patients still face additional surgeries — and how that’s changing How OCT imaging works What AI can detect that the human eye can’tHow this technology reduces repeat surgeries and emotional burdenWhat patients should ask their surgeon before going into the ORThe upcoming FDA review and when patients can expect wider availabilityHow rural and community hospitals could benefit from AI-assisted surgical toolsSupport the showListener FeedbackIf this episode resonated with you, we invite you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.You can also click the link in the show notes that says "Love this episode? Send us a text" to share feedback.Messages are completely anonymous.If you would like us to follow up directly, please include your email address in your message so we can respond.Latest News: Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources from SurvivingBReastCancer.org! Become a Breast Cancer Conversations+ Member! Sign Up Now. Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work.