Patients with complex Urological Cancer get successfully treated via advanced robot-aided surgery at Fortis Mohali

Abohar, October 20, 2023: The Department of Urology, Uro-Oncology and Robotic Surgery, Fortis Hospital Mohali, has successfully treated multiple patients suffering from complex urological cancers via the world’s most advanced 4th Generation Robot – Da Vinci Xi.

In this case, a 22-year-old patienthad been experiencing blood in his urine (hematuria) along with intermittent abdominal pain from quite some time. He underwent a CT scan at a nearby hospital, which revealed a large renal mass (8 cm) in his left kidney and the patient was advised to undergo a surgery for removal of the entire left kidney. As his health deteriorated, he approached Dr Dharmender Aggarwal, Consultant, Urology, Uro-Oncology and Robotic Surgery at Fortis Hospital Mohali. The case was complex as the renal lesion was 8 cm in size and had not only invaded more than half of his kidney, but was also closely attached to major blood vessels. Any delay in medical intervention would have caused the tumour to grow in size and also impact the other organs.

Dr Aggarwal suggested robot-aided surgery as the most viable treatment option to the Patient and alongwith his team of doctors, performed Robot-aided Partial Nephrectomy(removing part of the kidney to treat a disease) on 23rd June this year. The tumour was not only removed completely, but the large kidney lesion was extracted and the remaining kidney was saved. The Patient had a smooth, post-operative recovery and started walking within eight hours of the surgery. He was discharged on the third day on 26th June.

In another case, a 62-year old Patient had been experiencing blood in his urine (hematuria). Medical examination revealed a large tumour (7cm) in his urinary bladder, which was invading into its muscles. He subsequently underwent a resection of the bladder tumour at a nearby hospital. Unable to find relief, he finally approached Dr Aggarwal at Fortis Mohali. Following a thorough examination, Dr Aggarwal and his team performed Robot-assisted Radical Cystectomy(extract the entire bladder and nearby lymph nodes). The Patient’s entire urinary bladder was removed, ureters were joined to a segment of the small bowel, and a new channel was created to pass urine in the Stoma Bag.The Patient started walking within 10 hours of the surgery and was discharged after five days on 6th July this year. He has recovered fully and is living a cancer-free life now.

Discussing the cases, Dr Aggarwal, said, “Compared to the usual stay of 12-14 days in an open surgery, Robot-aided surgery allows a patient to walk on the same day of the procedure. Experiencing blood in urine is not a good sign and often points towards a more serious problem. With the help of newer technologies, we are now able to remove only the tumour and save the kidney in most of the cases.  Robot-aided surgery is the latest form of minimal invasive surgery and provides a 3D view of the operative field via a special camera inserted into the body of the patient. Parts of the body which are difficult to reach with the human hand can be accessed through robot-assisted arms that can rotate 360 degrees.”

Dr Dharmender Aggarwal has undergone training in complex cancer surgeries and Robot-aided Surgery from London and has performed more than 550 robotic surgeries cases till now.