Continuing our long-standing commitment to pioneering cancer research and treatments, City of Hope now leads the way in robotic-assisted cancer surgeries. These minimally-invasive surgeries offer benefits to patients and doctors that traditional surgery and regular laparoscopic surgery cannot. Currently, City of Hope provides a number of robotic and minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques, including:
Three da Vinci® Systems
City of Hope’s surgical teams utilizes three da Vinci® Surgical Systems - the only operative surgical robot deemed safe and effective by the United States Food and Drug Administration for performing surgery.
With these state-of-the-art systems, City of Hope surgeons use a three-dimensional computer vision system to manipulate four robotic arms. A pencil-sized video camera held by one of the arms is inserted through a tiny incision to provide magnified, three-dimensional images of the surgical site, while reproducing the exact movements of the human hands and wrists, but more with dexterity.
Seated a few feet away at a console, the surgeon uses hand controls to guide the other robotic arms, which hold laparoscopic surgical instruments. This technology converts the surgeon’s large hand movements into precise, minute movements. The robotic arms can even rotate a full 360 degrees, allowing the surgeon to move surgical instruments with greater accuracy, flexibility, and range of motion.
Extending the Surgeon’s Skills – and Benefits to the Patient
The robot extends even the most skilled surgeon’s capabilities beyond what is humanly possibly – allowing for less invasive, more precise procedures. “This robotic system allows doctors to see inside the body in three dimensions, and operate using tiny precision instruments that we can maneuver by using our hands in a more natural way than in a standard manual laparoscopy,” said Timothy Wilson, M.D., Chair, Pauline and Martin Collins Family Chair in Urology and director, Department of Urology and Urologic Oncology at City of Hope. The benefits to the patient often include:
- Less pain
- Less blood loss
- Minimal involvement of delicate surrounding tissues and nerves
- Fewer side effects
- Shorter hospitalization time
- Speedier recovery
Publications
Click here for a list of journal articles by City of Hope physicians and scientists related to minimally invasive surgical procedures.
Surgical Programs Performing Robotic & Minimally Invasive Procedures