Robotic surgery is better for bladder cancer patients, according to The Urology Foundation
Robotic surgery has been around for close to 50 years. To be more precise, the first surgical robot, named PUMA 560, was used in a brain biopsy procedure in 1985.
Since then, robotic surgery has become less linked to Frankenstein and an increasingly accessible solution for surgical care.
Development in this technology has become the norm when people are admitted for heart, gynaecological and colorectal - bowel! - procedures. However, it has had a delayed entrance into the urology world, particularly for the treatment of bladder cancer.
This was mostly down to the fact that, although experts were aware of the short-term benefits of robotic surgery, no one had definitive evidence that it was better than open surgery.
The Urology Foundation set out to prove it with clear evidence. How? With a three-year clinical trial!
Back in 2019, the not-for-profit received a grant from the Champniss Foundation to start a trial across nine hospitals in the UK. Working with 29 surgeons and 388 patients with non-metastatic bladder cancer, the Urology Foundation set out on a mission to prove that robotic surgery was as effective as anecdotal evidence showed.
Here’s how:
The first step was to split the patient cohort into two parts. Then, simply, 169 patients received open surgery whilst the other half received robotic surgery.
Unsurprisingly, the patients who went under the ‘robotic’ knife were better off. Not only did they recover faster, but they were also able to leave the hospital sooner.
What are the stats?
The study, published in the Journal of American Medical Association, showed that robotic surgery reduced hospital readmission by 52%. Also, the occurrence of blood clots lowered by four times in comparison to open surgery.
What’s more, after surgery patients were asked to track their physical activity. Those who received robotic surgery saw a marked increase in stamina and thus a quicker return to normal life. They were also able to leave hospital an average of two days earlier.
On the results, Co-Chief Investigator, Professor John Kelly, consultant surgeon at UCLH and Professor of Uro-Oncology at UCL, said: ‘Despite robot-assisted surgery becoming more widely available, there has been no significant clinical evaluation of its overall benefit to patients’ recovery.
‘In this study, we wanted to establish if robot-assisted surgery, when compared to open surgery reduced time spent in hospital, reduced readmissions, and led to better levels of fitness and quality of life; on all counts, this was shown.’
Why is robot-assisted surgery better?
Researchers say that getting a machine to complete the work is better - in most cases - as it reduces the size of the necessary surgical incisions, therefore, lessening the chance of infection and further complications.
Robot-assisted surgery allows surgeons to guide minimally invasive instruments remotely, using a console and aided by a 3D view.
Now that The Urology Foundation has done its bit to improve surgical solutions, one of its experts is making themselves at home in our online clinic to answer all of your erectile dysfunction questions.
We are teaming up to offer the talkhealth community a chance to put their questions to a urology expert. We will be joined Mr Hussain Alnajjar who will be answering your questions on Thursday 10 November 2022. The clinic will be open from Monday 7 November for you to post your questions in advance.
Head to the Clinic to find out more!
Information contained in this Articles page has been written by talkhealth based on available medical evidence. The content however should never be considered a substitute for medical advice. You should always seek medical advice before changing your treatment routine. talkhealth does not endorse any specific products, brands or treatments.
Information written by the talkhealth team
Last revised: 3 November 2022
Next review: 3 November 2025
Sign In with Google
Sign In with Facebook