Endoscopic Robot Treats Thyroid Cancer

With an estimated 37,000 new patients every year, thyroid cancer is among the leading types of the terrible disease. Treating it most often implies removing parts of the thyroid gland, or even the entire formation, and this is usually done through a three- to five-inch incision in the front of the neck. Now, a new method may soon make this course of treatment obsolete. The robot-assisted, minimally invasive endoscopic technique works faster, better, and more aesthetically pleasing than surgery.

The new method was devised at the Yonsei University College of Medicine, in Seoul, South Korea, and experts there have already used it on some 200 patients, with optimal results. Details of how it functions are published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. This is not the first time robots are used for treating variations of the disease. In fact, the method is fairly widespread in courses of treatment aimed at other types of cancer, but the delicate anatomical layout of the neck and the head have prevented the use of such methods in these areas for a long time.

The new method also has several advantages over existing surgical techniques. For instance, the robots provide a 3D view of the area that is being operated on, and also filter out unwanted hand motions that inexperienced or tired surgeons may make. In addition, they also preserve the healthy, surrounding tissue in the immediate vicinity of the tumor better and more precisely than a surgeon can.

“This innovative robot-assisted technique for thyroid surgery represents an exciting new treatment option for patients with thyroid cancer. Not only does it offer good clinical outcomes, but it also spares patients from the large, visible scar that results from traditional open surgery,” Yonsei University College of Medicine expert Woong Youn Chung, MD, PhD, explains, quoted by ScienceDaily.

After the endoscopic robots were used on the 200 patients, the science team in South Korea reported minimal side-effects. They say that permanent nerve paralysis, one of the worst consequences of such an operation, appeared in only one case out of the original 200, which is equivalent to 0.4 percent. Serum thyroglobulin levels also showed a decrease immediately after the surgery, but recovered within one month to their previous levels. No traces of recurring tumors were discovered ten and 18 months after the intervention.