Robotic surgery innovation center enhances prostate cancer treatment

Ti Gong

High-end surgical skills plus artificial intelligence are making robotic surgery more precise and efficient, experts announced at the launch of the Robotic Surgery Innovation Center at the Shanghai Urological Cancer Institute on Saturday.

As a result, the sexual function of patients undergoing surgery for prostate cancer can be better protected.

Thanks to precise robotic surgery at the Shanghai Cancer Center, where the Institute is located, more than 90 percent patients with early-stage prostate cancer can have their sexual nerves protected.

"Due to changes of lifestyle, diet and the promotion of cancer screening, the detection rate for prostate cancer in the early stages is rising and the average age of patients is dropping," said Dr Ye Dingwei, director of the Urological Cancer Institute.

"The rate of early-stage prostate cancer patients below 60 years old is rising by 3 to 4 percent in our hospital. Many patients are middle-aged with a higher demand for life quality after surgery."

Ye said surgery is the best solution for prostate cancer, however, the prostate is located closely to sexual nerves.

"Any slight mistake or carelessness can cause loss of sexual function," Ye said.

"Patients' demand for preserving sexual function gives a high requirement to doctors' practice during surgery."

The introduction and promotion of robotic surgery provides a good solution, as robotic arms are more precise than human.

Since the current surgical guidelines are mainly developed based on Western people's physical features, Ye's team created surgical skills and methods in line with Chinese pelvis structure. This along with robotic surgery ensures better surgical safety and quicker recovery of patients.

"The survival rate and life quality have both risen significantly," Ye said. "The time for each surgery is shortened by 40 percent while the risk of complications is largely reduced, and patients receive the biggest protection to their sexual function."

The new robotic surgery innovation center will focus on new theory, new technology and new surgical methods to boost the development of smart medicine-based robotic surgery skill systems, further enhancing clinical capability and benefiting patients, experts said.