A Robotic Approach to Treating Kidney Cancer [Video]

Kidney is among the top 10 most common cancer diagnoses in the United States. It’s often found in those over 65 and men are twice as likely as women to experience it. However, if it’s discovered in the earlier stages, “Removal of the kidney is generally the only treatment that is needed. It’s only in the later stages that we talk about some of the systemic treatments.”

Urologist Dr. Chase Cavayero uses a cutting-edge surgical robot to remove the cancerous tumor from the kidney. “We’re making several small incisions on the abdomen in order to remove just a tumor rather than making a large incision and keep him in the hospital for an extra day or two.”

The robot allows for wrist articulation for suturing and gives surgeons ultimate control in small spaces. “Another advantage is many of the systems have 3-D visualization and magnification. You really get a wonderful picture, even better than just looking at it with your own two eyes,” said Dr. Cavayero.

While the robot provides a helping hand to doctors, the true beneficiary are the patients. “The recovery tends to be quicker. The blood loss is less. In general, their overall outcomes are improved with the use of minimally invasive technology,” said Dr. Cavayero. “More than that it’s just going home and getting back to their normal routine.”

Kidney cancer is diagnosed through imaging, so if you’ve experienced blood in the urine, pain, fatigue, or unexplained weight loss, speak with your doctor. You can learn more by going to leehealth.org/cancer.

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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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