HCM CITY — Doctors at Bình Dân Hospital on Monday used a robot to assist in a surgical operation to remove two-thirds of the stomach of a male patient diagnosed with cancer, the first on a patient with cancer surgery.

The 54-year-old patient from the Mekong Delta province of Đồng Tháp was hospitalised due to indigestion after eating and losing two kilos per month over a long period.

Endoscopy results showed that he had cancer at the antral section of the stomach in the third stage.

Dr Hoàng Vĩnh Chúc, head of the hospital’s digestive surgery department and leader of the surgical team, said the robot’s arms were guided by the physicians who viewed the patient’s stomach via digital screens.

The robot easily removed and separated parts of the tumours, thereby reducing bleeding.

The robot also helped to minimise harm to healthy cells nearby, Chúc said.

As of Monday afternoon, the patient was recovering in the intensive care unit (ICU).

He is expected to recover more quickly than usual because of the reduced amount of bleeding during the operation.

After surgery, the patient will not eat for two or three days and will be fed intravenously. Five days later, he will begin to eat soup and milk. He will also be asked to walk regularly to help the gut operate normally.

Stomach cancer at the antral section of the stomach accounts for 70 per cent of the total number of cases of stomach cancer.

People at a high risk, including those with a family member with stomach cancer or helicobacter pylori infection, should have a stomach endoscopy periodically, Chúc said.

Since last December, the hospital has used robots to assist surgeries on adult patients, with 68 patients benefitting from the technique.  — VNS