Robotic partial nephrectomy surgery for kidney cancer
Robotic surgery has become most powerful tool for surgeons, as it gives greater precision and control during surgery.
We can catch kidney cancer in early stage so that the disease isn’t life-threatening for the person and many older patients may not need treatment at all. However, larger tumours or those that are beginning to spread may put patients’ lives in danger without surgery.
What is Robotic partial nephrectomy surgery?
Robotic partial nephrectomy has become the robotic kidney surgery of choice for most patients with kidney cancer or a benign kidney tumour. In this procedure, the kidney tumour is removed while leaving the rest of the kidney intact, an approach that has been shown to maximise the patient’s post-operative kidney function. The Da Vinci robot’s superior manoeuvrability is ideally suited for the delicate cutting and stitching required in this surgery, while the procedure’s minimally-invasive nature offers numerous advantages to the patient, including less trauma and faster recovery time.
Who needs robotic kidney cancer surgery?
Cancer stage is primary factor for deciding what patients need robotic kidney cancer surgery. Following are kidney cancer stages
Stage 1: The tumour is less than 7 centimetres (about 2.75 inches) across and hasn’t spread out of the kidney
Stage 2: The tumour is more than 7 centimetres across but still hasn’t spread out of the kidney
Stage 3: The tumour is starting to spread and may have spread to a major vein
Stage 4: The tumour has spread beyond the connective tissue surrounding the kidney and may have spread to other organs
Usually, stages 2 and 3 likely to have robotic surgery. These tumours are larger and may spread to other organs if left untreated.
Doctors also look at how well a patient’s kidneys are working and if there are any tumour related symptoms as part of their decision to recommend surgery. Small kidney tumours in stage 1 often don’t cause symptoms, but larger tumours in stages 2 or 3 can cause issues that speed up the need for surgery.
The advantages of robotic surgery for kidney cancer
Robotic/laparoscopic surgery has several advantages over traditional open surgery, including smaller incisions, faster recovery time, and the ability to save more of the patient’s kidney.
Robotic surgery to treat kidney allows uro onco surgeons to be precise during surgery. This reduces the risk of leaving any part of the tumour behind for patients who are undergoing partial nephrectomy.
Robotic surgery allows surgeons to work faster as compared to traditional surgery.
Robotic surgery also allows doctors to more easily remove large kidney tumours on the outside or inside of the kidney. Prior to robotic partial nephrectomy surgery, when tumours were completely within the kidney, doctors had to remove the entire kidney through a procedure called a radical nephrectomy. But now surgeons are able to remove tumours with just the part of the kidney.
