Doctors perform first robotic breast surgery using Da-Vinci technique

A team of doctors has treated two women suffering from advanced breast cancer with the help of robot-assisted functional breast preservation surgery (RAFBPS),a minimally invasive surgical technique using Da-Vinci Robot. The hospital claimed that it is one of the first in India case where this unique technique has been used to preserve full breasts and nipple sensation.

A few months after her baby was born, a 27-year-old woman was presented at CK Birla Hospital with a breast lump. The cancer had progressed to an advanced stage. The woman was administered with NeoAdjuvant Chemotherapy, which allows for optimal removal of residual tumors with targeted medicine. She underwent robot-assisted functional breast preservation surgery (RAFBPS) without complications and experienced a swift recovery.  The hospital said RAFBPS not only preserved her breasts, but also provided her with functional, sensate, and similar breasts like her original ones.

Dr. Mandeep Singh Malhotra, Director of Surgical Oncology at the hospital, said, “One of the first in India, where Robot-assisted functional breast preservation surgery with Latissimus flap reconstruction has been conducted at our hospital. This surgery offers more precise visualization and smaller incisions. In these types of surgeries, robot is used to enter the breast from the armpit to remove tissue and reconstruct the breast, preserving the breast skin as well as nipple, if possible, thus preserving the breast sensation”, he said.

In another case, a woman in her late 50s was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer but the cancer was multifocal with three breast lumps. She also underwent RAFBP surgery utilizing robotic arms to remove the cancerous tissue and simultaneously harvesting tissue from the back to reconstruct the breast with a single lateral mammary incision.