As recently as three years ago, the gold standard to treat prostate cancer, the second most common form of cancer in men, was an invasive surgery that required up to a one-week hospital stay.
Today, at the Wilmot Cancer Center at Strong, men are benefiting from state-of-the-art laparoscopic robotic technology, which allows surgeons to use a minimally invasive approach, and send most patients home the day after surgery.
The man leading the minimally invasive robotic charge at Strong Memorial is Jean Joseph, M.D., who has completed more than 200 surgeries, nearly two-thirds of them with the new daVinci Robotic Surgical System, making him one of the top 10 most experienced laparascopic surgeons in the country. Joseph, who directs the Urology Department’s Section of Laparascopy and Robotics, is performing about six robotic surgeries each week, taking under three hours for each procedure, about the same time as a traditional prostetectomy.
Strong was the first in upstate New York to offer this technology, adding the system in early 2003 to allow urology and cardiac surgeons to perform procedures laparoscopically, eliminating the need for large incisions. The leading-edge technology consists of a robotic arm that performs surgeries using movements that replicate a surgeon’s motions. The movements are controlled from across the room, by a surgeon using virtual 3-D images provided by laparoscopic cameras.
“This system gives the appearance of being inside the patient,” says Joseph. “The 3-D view provides a depth perception that is missing in traditional laparoscopic surgery. This brings us as close to the surgical site as we can get. In fact, the magnified 3-D view enhances the images, helping to improve accuracy and precision,” Joseph said.
The benefits of the robotic technology have a significant impact on patients and their outcomes. Because the cases are done laparoscopically, dime-sized incisions are made that result in faster recovery time and a lower chance of infection or other complications such as incontinence and impotence. The procedures themselves can be even more accurate than traditional surgery, with steadier “hands” at the surgical site being directed by a surgeon.