North Charleston, SC (WCSC) – The robot upgrade converts cancer surgery into South Carolina.
DA Vinci SP went to the operating room for doctors at the Trident Medical Center. The robot that uses a port or one shoulder to help guide tumors in the mouth, throat and nasal zone, which are usually found with head and neck cancer.
The most technology is an upgrade from DA Vinci 5, which uses four weapons.
Surgical oncologist of the head and neck Dr. Josh Hornig with a specialist in the head and neck Charleston says that traditional robots, such as four weapons robot, were intended for abdominal or chest surgery.

Hornig says the work behind the tongue is similar to the work around the corner of the door. The tight space in the mouth is complicated during surgery when using a machine with many hands.
“With a port, what allows us to do is enter into the more spaced spaces and see the tumors more natural,” Hornig says. “And if you can see things better, it is obviously easier to remove them, remove cancers in this area without removing so much normal tissue.”
Hornig says cases of this type of cancer are growing. The National Cancer Institute at the National Health Institutes reports that some cases come from the use of alcohol and tobacco.
Hornig says another reason is human papillomavirus or HPV.

The surgical oncologist says that the virus tends to invade the throat near the area of the tonsils. Hornig says the percentage of HPV cancer treatment is higher when captured early and working with robotic surgery.
The purpose for modernizing the new technology is to see less surgical effects on patients, while finding better ways to cure cancer. Patients’ results are improving as the new addition also has the potential to cure more patients in a faster period of time than before.
The robot helps doctors to remove less tissues, especially around the tongue, which reduces patient recovery time.
“If we work on you and cure cancer but now you have such a small language, you can’t swallow properly or you can’t speak and [have] People … understand what you say … This would be a high morbidity surgery, so we try to do things less painful, less impactful to patients. “
Experts say patients already see positive results when it comes to cure cancer.
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