City of Hope is opening a multicenter clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of robotic-assisted, single-incision mastectomies. The minimally invasive procedure, which preserves the nipple and leaves only a small hidden scar on the side of the body, could potentially lead to significant improvements in breast surgery.
“City of Hope is once again taking the lead in investigating innovations, treatments and therapies that are making big leaps forward for patients with cancer. We’re participating in what we believe is a groundbreaking clinical trial that we hope will simultaneously result in the best possible aesthetic outcome,” said Jennifer Tseng, M.D., medical director of breast surgery at City of Hope Orange County and principal investigator on the clinical trial.
The study is open to patients in the early stages of breast cancer. Participants will be part of a comparative and randomized trial, meaning half will receive traditional open nipple-sparing surgery and others will undergo the single-incision robotic procedure.
“City of Hope offers the most advanced breast cancer treatments,” said Jamie Rand, M.D., a breast cancer surgeon at City of Hope and subinvestigator on the clinical trial. “This new clinical trial holds a lot of promise. We are excited to offer this state-of-the-art technology to our patients with the goal of improving outcomes and quality of life.”
For the robotic-assisted procedure, surgeons will use the single-port da Vinci SP robotic-assisted surgical system, manufactured by Intuitive, the study sponsor.
Surgeons at City of Hope, a leader in robotic surgery, have performed more than 16,000 nonmastectomy robotic procedures. They are frequently requested to train others in using the da Vinci SP, which the Food and Drug Administration has cleared in the U.S. for urology and transoral otolaryngology procedures.
“We are pleased to add this study to the more than 800 clinical trials offered at City of Hope each year,” said Yuman Fong, M.D., the Sangiacomo Family Chair in Surgical Oncology at City of Hope and director of its Center for Surgical Innovation. “This procedure could be a breakthrough for breast cancer surgery and, true to our reputation, we want to provide the latest surgical and medical options for our patients.”
More information about this clinical trial can be found at CityofHope.org/research/clinical-trials or clinicaltrials.gov.
Shown above: A physician performs surgery with the assistance of a robotic device.