Surgeons at Almazov Centre performed robot-assisted surgery on a 13-year-old boy with a rare cancer – pelvic rhabdomyosarcoma, which affects the prostate gland and bladder. Following the removal of the patient's prostate and bladder, two ureterocutaneostomies were created through the abdomen to facilitate urine outflow. The boy will then undergo reconstructive surgery to form a new bladder from the intestine.
The fourth-generation Da Vinci Xi robotic system was used by the surgeons to remove the affected organs with the utmost care and precision.
In contrast, when such a procedure is performed by open access, the surgeon has to damage a significant amount of other tissues in order to reach the affected area. This results in a lengthy surgical procedure and, most importantly, a higher degree of trauma. After open access, the majority of patients experience urinary incontinence for the remainder of their lives.
“After robotic prostate removal surgery, which lasts only about two hours, 99.6% of patients return to normal life in a few days without experiencing any problems,” says Professor Mikhail Mosoyan, head of Robotic Surgery Centre, who performed the surgery.
The use of robotic technology in a child for a complex procedure (robot-assisted radical cystoprostatectomy) represented a unique experience for Russian surgeons.
“The histological examination of the removed tissues indicates a favorable prognosis for the patient. The malignant cells in the boy's body have been almost completely destroyed. The boy will now require several more courses of chemotherapy,” explains Dr. Ilya Kagantsov, Head of Research Laboratory for Surgery of Congenital and Hereditary Diseases, pediatric urologist and pediatric surgeon.
The child's health issues first manifested at the age of nine. He experienced difficulty urinating, which was subsequently diagnosed as a tumor following an ultrasound scan.
“Since 2019, the child has been undergoing treatment at our place of residence in Orenburg. After another examination, the doctors decided that surgery was no longer an option because the tumor was in a tricky spot that made it hard to do the procedure safely. Fortunately, Almazov Centre offered us a unique robotic surgery technique. Of course, we agreed,” said the boy's mother.