Robot Surgeon Saves Man After Testicular Cancer Spreads

Robot Surgeon Saves Man After Testicular Cancer Spreads

With the COVID-19 crisis changing the way people seek healthcare, many operations have been rescheduled or cancelled just because people can’t safely travel to hospitals. In the case of a British man who had a tumor in his stomach as a result of a testicular cancer that spread, his life was saved from thousands of miles away with the aid of a robot surgeon.

The patient’s name is Mo Tajer, and he had a tumor nearly two inches in diameter in his stomach that was attached to a pair of major blood vessels. Surgery on something that delicate would be a tricky proposition for even the most skilled hands. Luckily, technology had the answer in the form of the Da Vinci XI machine.

Using augmented reality technology, specialist Jim Porter from Seattle’s Swedish Medical Center guided surgeon Archie Fernando in the operation on May 21. The pair cooperated to guide the robot surgeon’s four arms to delicately excise the tumor in the first operation of its type ever done in Britain.

Tajer was working as a salesperson at Harrod’s when he started feeling discomfort in his groin. After his diagnosis, he went through four courses of chemotherapy to eliminate the cancer, but doctors discovered that it had spread to his abdomen - an unfortunately common situation with testicular cancer. Surgery was required, but the operation was so specific and delicate that a local consultant couldn’t be found.

With augmented reality, Fernando was able to get guidance from Porter as to where to make tiny, precise incisions to remove the mass without damaging the vital circulation system. Pretty amazing stuff!

Read more at The Sun.