Cancer: Neck lump patient in robot surgery first

Pioneering robotic surgery to remove hard-to-reach head and neck cancers has been performed in Wales for the first time.

More than 20 patients a year from across Wales are expected to benefit from the new service at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

Surgeons use a precision robot with several arms to remove tumours and improve the chances of recovery. The first patient is recovering well from his operation in December.

A human surgeon's wrist can turn 180 degrees, whereas the robot's four 'hands' can rotate four or five times.

This dexterity reduces the need for more invasive surgery – in some cases this might have involved breaking the jaw open – and patients can recover much more quickly.

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Source: BBC News, 14 February 2020