Move over, doctors, there’s a new group of surgeons in town: robots.

 

Thanks to new advancements in technology, more and more surgical robots are making their way into operating rooms. And results from a recent study show that more patients may want to see the less invasive options offered through robotic surgery.

 

According to the study, which evaluates the outcomes of robotic surgery, some 41,000 women every year in the United States are diagnosed with endometrial cancer, a common malignancy of the female genital tract. While most patients undergo surgery to treat the disease - the fourth most common form of cancer for females – about 80 percent are performed through the traditional open method.

 

But the study’s findings indicate that robotic surgery for endometrial cancer may prompt more patients to seek less invasive options. The study, which appears in the August issue of “Obstetrics & Gynecology,” evaluated a database of 405 patients who underwent robotic surgery for endometrial cancer between April 2003 and January 2009.

 

The results support previous research, which found that women with endometrial cancer who underwent robotic surgery experienced shorter operative times and decreased length of hospital stays. In addition, patients also had minimal blood loss, a reduction in surgical complications and reduced recovery times. One reason for the benefits is that robots offer exceptional control and precision of surgical instruments.

 

The research reportedly is the largest and the first multi-institutional study to look at the effectiveness of robotic surgery for endometrial cancer.

 

Dr. M. Patrick Lowe, the lead author of the study and a gynecologic oncologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said the research has the potential to influence surgical treatment of the disease.

 

“Many women are unaware that a robotic alternative to treat endometrial cancer exists, and the advantages of this minimally invasive approach may provide them with their best surgical option,” Lowe said in a statement.

 

The study also examined surgical outcomes and the learning curve of five participating surgeons who incorporated robotic technology. The number of robotic surgeries performed by each surgeon in the study ranged from 41 to 119, and results found that patient outcomes for intraoperative complications, length of hospital stay, lymph node yield, and blood loss were similar among the group of surgeons, regardless of experience.

 

Surgeons with extensive laparoscopic experience and those without also had similar outcomes, which resulted in a more level playing field among surgeons when performing robotic surgery, the study found.
 

“When compared to published literature on the surgical outcomes of the traditional open or laparoscopic technique to treat endometrial cancer, robotics is at least equivalent, if not superior to both modalities in several areas,” Lowe said. “Based on the promising results of this study, the era of traditional open surgery to primarily treat women with endometrial cancer has come to a close.”

 

The recent study builds off other industry research, which said robotics is increasingly being used in diverse surgical procedures. And technological advances and patient awareness will only fuel the field.

 

Earlier this year, a Portland, Ore. doctor made history by conducting the first documented unaccompanied, laparoscopic hysterectomy using robotic Vision Control in endoscopy or ViKY, a robotic creation from EndoControl.