Phasing Out Laparoscopy? Robotic Surgery for Renal Tumors

Robotic surgery has made important in-roads into the fields of cardiac and urologic surgery. Though much of the work in urologic surgery has focused on the prostate, we're now seeing a trend toward the use of robotics in procedures to remove kidney tumors. Given the delicate nature of kidney tissue, these procedures can present considerable technical challenges, but they may also provide better outcomes for our patients with kidney cancer. Dr. Sam Bhayani, assistant professor of surgery and co-director of robotic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, attributes these improvements to the better views of the tumor targets and a more efficient procedure afforded by the robotic instruments. Dr. Bhayani joins host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill to speak about current trends in robotics and renal cancers.