Samsung Medical Center said on the 2nd that it has performed more than 1,500 robotic surgeries for gastric cancer, as the share of robot-assisted procedures grows rapidly.
Robotic surgery costs more than open surgery, which requires cutting into the abdomen, but involves smaller incisions that minimize complications such as pain and bleeding. It also leaves less scarring and allows faster recovery and shorter hospital stays, making it increasingly popular among patients. Of the 1,174 gastric cancer operations performed at Samsung Medical Center last year, 256, or 22%, were robotic.
The hospital recently installed the da Vinci 5, the newest robotic surgical system, for exclusive use by its Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery. It is the only medical institution in South Korea to dedicate a da Vinci 5 to gastrointestinal surgery. The five-year relative survival rate for gastric cancer patients at Samsung Medical Center is 89.5%, above the national average of 78.6% and roughly twice the U.S. average of 37.9%. Mortality within 90 days of surgery was 0.42%, half the average of 0.98% at tertiary general hospitals.
The hospital said the dedicated equipment would accelerate the development of robotic surgical techniques and expand the range of procedures, as robotic operations account for a growing share of gastric cancer surgery.
"By introducing dedicated robotic equipment, we expect improvements in treatment outcomes for gastric cancer and in surgical techniques that preserve quality of life," said Lee Jun-ho, chief of the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Samsung Medical Center. "We will devote ourselves to developing techniques that deliver better outcomes for patients."
