Cancer surgeons at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC) have used cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) to treat advanced ovarian cancers. The women have been discharged since.
Venkat P., senior consultant surgical oncologist, said robotic surgery was hitherto used to treat prostate and colorectal cancers as they were localised. The hospital had introduced the Da Vinci system, which allowed doctors to treat ovarian cancers with better precision and the patient benefitted.
With most women coming for treatment at an advanced stage of the cancer, where the disease had spread across the abdomen, robotic-assisted interval cytoreductive surgery helped remove the cancer cells more precisely and reduced blood loss, ensuring quicker patient recovery, he said.
Priya Kapoor, consultant surgical oncologist at the hospital, said two women had been treated recently using the procedure. A 48-year-old woman from Assam with ovarian cancer that had spread underwent the CRS HIPEC procedure. Upon diagnosis, she was found to have breast cancer, which was also treated using surgery. The doctor said the robotic platform enabled both procedures to be carried out with minimal morbidity, and the patient was discharged in three days.
Another 40-year-old woman from Chennai, who had extrauterine endometrial stromal sarcoma, a rare tumour, underwent the CRS procedure to remove multiple cancer-affected tissues and organs, Dr. Priya said.
The doctors said the surgery could cost ₹12 lakh to ₹13 lakh but is beneficial compared to conventional treatment as the patient is back to their routine more quickly, thus reducing hospital stay and attendant problems such as blood loss during conventional procedures.
APCC Director Harshad Reddy said robotic technology had revolutionised cancer treatment in India. “By pioneering this innovative surgery, we offer new hope and options for cancer patients seeking advanced and effective treatments,” he said.
