Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) is the first facility in Buffalo and among the first centers in the country to offer state-of-the-art robotic-assisted surgery to patients with bladder cancer.

The pioneering technique offers these patients a less invasive treatment option that has several potential advantages over traditional open surgery. Patients may experience less post-operative pain, resume bowel activity sooner, resume day-to-day activity more quickly and stay fewer days in the hospital.

“We are committed to providing the newest and most advanced treatments to our patients,” said Khurshid A. Guru, MD, Director of Robotic Surgery at RPCI. “We are pleased to make robotic-assisted surgery available to patients with advanced bladder cancer.”

Using the advanced computer technology of the robotic da Vinci® Surgical System, surgeons are able to see vital anatomical structures more clearly and perform surgical procedures more precisely. The technology extends the surgeon’s capabilities by providing a three-dimensional view of the operating field and improves access to the surgical site through small ports that eliminate the need for large incisions. The system also gives surgeons the ability to rotate instruments 360 degrees.

Approximately 63,200 new cases of bladder cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2006. Bladder cancer is four times more likely to be found in men than women and is the fourth most frequent cancer diagnosed in men and the ninth most frequent cancer diagnosed in women.