Robotic surgery at St George’s is improving cancer care
St George’s Hospital, southwest London, has become one of only a handful of hospitals in the UK to use robotic, minimally invasive, surgery to improve outcomes for bladder cancer patients.
Part of the standard treatment for bladder cancer patients is a cystectomy, the removal of all or part of the bladder. A radical robotic cystectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that offers an alternative to the traditional open surgery technique.
Matthew Perry, urology consultant at St George’s Hospital, said: “Robotic surgery for bladder cancer offers the advantages of less trauma to the patient while maintaining excellent cancer control rates. This means patients get better faster, have less complications, shorter hospital stays and a faster return to work.”
63-year-old Margaret Box from West Wimbledon is one of the first people at St George’s to undergo a radical robotic cystectomy. She is enjoying her busy lifestyle again after undergoing the treatment nearly a year ago.
Margaret was in hospital for 12 days and after five days felt comfortable enough to stop taking painkillers. She has not needed any since. Margaret has high praise for the level of care she received from staff at St George’s. She said: “Staff were very kind. Everyone I came into contact with during my treatment was very friendly and accommodating.”
St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s urology department is a regional centre for prostate, bladder and renal cancer and treats patients from across southwest London and Surrey.
For more information about bladder cancer please visit www.actiononbladdercancer.org.
Notes to editors
For more information, please contact the Communications Unit on 020 8725 5151 or email communications@stgeorges.nhs.uk. Outside working hours, please page us by calling 0844 822 2888, leaving a short message and contact details for pager SG548.
