Samsung Seoul Hospital recently reached 1,500 cumulative robotic gastric cancer surgeries.
According to the hospital on Sept. 2, robotic surgery, which can reduce patients’ pain, bleeding and scarring, is being actively performed. Of the 1,174 gastric cancer surgeries conducted last year, 256 were robotic procedures, accounting for 22%.
The hospital has been performing robotic gastric cancer surgeries since 2010.
In particular, the hospital expects the growth to accelerate after introducing the latest robotic surgical system, the da Vinci 5 (DV5), exclusively for its gastrointestinal surgery department.
The hospital is the only one in South Korea to have a DV5 dedicated to gastrointestinal surgery.
Lee Jun-ho, head of the gastrointestinal surgery department, said, “The introduction of the equipment is expected to lead to improvements in surgical techniques that maintain treatment outcomes and quality of life for gastric cancer patients. We will devote ourselves to developing techniques that can deliver better treatment outcomes.”
The hospital also expects treatment outcomes for gastric cancer patients to improve.
The hospital’s five-year relative survival rate for gastric cancer patients is 89.5%, significantly higher than the averages of 78.6% in South Korea and 37.9% in the United States. The hospital’s 90-day postoperative mortality rate is also 0.42%, about half the 0.98% average for tertiary general hospitals.
The hospital also operates a Gastric Cancer Center within its cancer hospital that specializes in all aspects of gastric cancer care, from diagnosis, surgery and chemotherapy to postoperative management.
Lee Ji-yeon, director of the Gastric Cancer Center and a hematology-oncology specialist, said, “Reaching 1,500 cumulative cases has once again demonstrated our global competitiveness. We will open a new chapter in gastric cancer care through accurate diagnosis and optimal treatment.”