Robotic Surgery for Cancer Involving Tonsils Shows Promise
December 19th, 2007 Posted by: Dr. Cox
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A surgical technique using robotic arms is offering hope to cancer patients who need radical tonsillectomies. The new procedure is called transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and, after evaluation over a 2-year period at the University of Pennsylvania, it appears to be a significant improvement over the current procedure.
Right now, surgeons have limited access to the tonsils. And if the cancer has spread to surrounding tissue, the procedure involves cutting through skin. It can be a lengthy surgery often followed by long-term difficulty in swallowing. It usually requires the placement of a tracheotomy tube.
TORS was tested by Dr, Gregory Weinstein and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania between May 2005 and April 2007 on 27 participants needing radical tonsillectomies. The surgical system uses 3 instrument holding arms, a central arm with an endocoscope, and 2 video cameras that offer a 3 dimensional view of the body. Itâs all controlled by the surgeon from a console near the patient. Incisions are made in the gums, soft palate, tongue and throat muscles to reach and remove the tonsils and any surrounding cancerous tissue. The procedures performed typically took only an hour and 45 minutes and afterward, patients were able to swallow without the use of a stomach tube.
The surgeons reported success in all of the surgeries. In 25 patients they were able to remove all of the cancerous tissue. They report that the robotic arms functioned âoptimallyâ and there was no interference between robotic arms.
The report on TORS appears in the December issue of Archives of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery. With the success of TORS, Weinstein and colleagues say future report will focus on long-term oncologic and functional outcomes.
SOURCE: JAMA Archives Head & Neck Surgery, Dec. 2007