Robot now removing throat cancers
Date of release: 18 December 2023
Patients with throat cancer can now have it removed by robotic surgery in Wolverhampton, in a first for the Black Country.
The robotic team for ENT, from left: Jose Peralta, Theatre Support Assistant, Mr Khaleeq-Ur Rehman, Maxillofacial Consultant, Rajvinder Kajla, Theatre Support Assistant, Mr Syed Farhan Ahsan, ENT Consultant, Gina Masella, Senior Theatre Practitioner, Dr Tom Moody, Anaesthetic Consultant, Sheena Blackburn, Operating Department Practitioner, Rafael Pacupac, Theatre Nurse, and Eleanor Macarau, Theatre Sister
It is hoped around 20 patients per year from Wolverhampton, South Staffordshire and Walsall will benefit from this surgery at New Cross Hospital, part of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT).
Shorter time in surgery and recovery, reduced anaesthetic, and less time in theatre – leading to more capacity for more cases – are among the benefits.
Robotic surgery to remove Urological and Colorectal cancers has been performed at RWT since 2011. The same Da Vinci robot is used in throat cancers as in Urological and Colorectal cases but with different arms.
Mr Syed Farhan Ahsan, Consultant ENT Surgeon at RWT, has led this development with the assistance of Mr John Murphy, Consultant ENT Surgeon and Divisional Medical Director at RWT.
“As the Black Country centre for head and neck cancer, we are proud RWT is now offering robotic operations against this awful disease,” said Mr Murphy.
“We’ve gone from cases that might have taken 12 hours and two weeks in hospital to two or three hours with one or two days in hospital. There is less morbidity too.”
Patients with cancers that are small in volume and localised are suitable for this surgery. They are assessed clinically and scanned.
“We’re performing robotic surgery on cancers amenable to excisions in the throat without any major surgery,” added Mr Ahsan. “People used to have surgery by dividing the mandible (lower jaw) but we can now do it through the mouth with the robot.”
“The patient is able to eat and drink almost straightaway, and when you reduce the anaesthesia time, the risks are lower so it’s better for the patient. They recover very quickly too.”
Normally these cancers are treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but if the tumour is removed, chemotherapy can be avoided and treatment can be continued with radiotherapy, significantly reducing long-term side-effects.
Mr Ahsan had to undergo three months’ training with Intuitive, the manufacturers of the Da Vinci robot at New Cross, before he was signed off to operate.
He also had to be signed off by a proctor (a fellow Consultant who evaluates his cognitive and technical skills). For these early robotic cases, he has been assisted by Mr Khaleeq-Ur Rehman, Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon.
Mr Ahsan thanked Mr Murphy for his support to start this surgery and Mandeep Chana, Group Manager, Anaesthesia, Perioperative, Pain Medicine and ICCU Directorate, who enabled him to have two fully-trained Scrub Nurses and to prepare the theatres. Gina Masella, Sister, Head and Neck Theatres, has organised training for theatres staff.
In future it is hoped the service will be extended to suitable candidates from Shropshire and Sandwell too.
ENDS
- For further information, please call Tim Nash on 07714 741097 or email tim.nash2@nhs.net
