Robots help hospitals do more prostate cancer surgery

By Angela Young 14 months ago

Robots help hospitals do more prostate cancer surgery when invested in by man hospitals across the country because the promise of new results. Recent research shows how men are treated for prostate cancer goes beyond the treatments available to the technology and marketing used as well. Hospitals who have invested in robotic surgery assistance machines are performing more prostate cancer surgeries. This may or may not be positive depending on the reasons for the surgeries. 

Increase in Surgeries

In hospitals with the robotic surgery equipment the average increase in prostate surgeries was 29 surgeries annually. In contrast, hospitals that didn't invest in the machines saw a decrease of five surgeries annually. This was suspected based on a variety of reasons including the "cool" factor, marketing campaigns to encourage patients to use the new machine, prompting by doctors and other factors. 

Marketing 

The thought process behind this is that hospitals with advanced surgical technology can draw patients away from hospitals that lack in technology. In an age of discovery and technology, consumers and patients feel more confident when technology is involved in their medical treatment. The marketing department may also be encouraging doctors to steer patients toward the new technology even if the patient isn't in dire need of the surgery.

Prostate Removal

Prostate surgery is done to remove the prostate gland to eliminate the risk of cancer spreading. There are risks with the surgery which can result in impotence and incontinence. It hasn't been determined if traditional or robotic surgery brings a better outcome of these risks. Patients may feel these risks are less important if preformed by robotic surgery, which may not be the case.

Robotic Surgery vs. Other Treatment Methods

When compared to blood loss, recovery time and effectiveness of other cancer treatments, there was nothing conclusive showing robotic surgeries had the advantage. The right treatment method for each patient is the important deciding factor, especially when there is no evidence of a dramatic difference in the new robotic surgical technology over current methods.

Expensive

Surgical robots can run in the $1 million to $2.5 million dollar range, so investing in them is extremely expensive. This is also a reason hospital marketing divisions are pushing the use of them. Additional costs include $1,500-$2,000 per patient in disposable supplies and $140,000 in annual services. These expenses quickly make this a machine the business department of hospitals want to see in action to make up for.

Decision to Surgically Treat

Because technology often brings a confidence and wonder to it, patients may opt for robotic surgery even when they don't want it which works well into the business interests of the hospital working to make sure the equipment pays for itself. In a comparison of men with prostate cancer across the country, about half opted for surgery regardless of the surgical methods. The rest choose different forms of treatment or to monitor only and forgo treatment.

While technolog is progressing and robots are helping hospitals do more prostate cancer surgery it's important to always be cautious about new treatment methods, especially when they haven't been proven to work. Always work with your doctor for the best approach to treating or monitoring your prostate cancer for the best outcome. Do research of your own to make sure you feel confident in your treatment plan. If you ever feel pressured by your doctor to use a specific treatment, get a second opinion to ensure it's the right choice for your specific situation.