Yonsei Cancer Center Surpasses 500 Cases of 'World's First' Robotic Breast Surgery

The Breast Cancer Center at Yonsei Cancer Hospital announced on the 27th that the breast surgery team, consisting of Professors Hyungseok Park, Jiye Kim, and Jihyun Ahn, achieved the world's first milestone of 500 cases of robotic breast surgery last August.

Yonsei Cancer Center Breast Cancer Center announced on the 27th that the breast surgery team, consisting of Professors Hyungseok Park, Jiye Kim, and Jihyun Ahn, achieved the world's first 500 cases of robotic breast surgery last August. Professor Hyungseok Park (third from the left) and the medical staff are posing for a commemorative photo.
[Photo by Severance Hospital]

With this, Yonsei Cancer Hospital set the world record for the highest number of robotic breast surgeries performed within seven years since introducing robotic surgery for breast cancer treatment in Asia for the first time in 2016.

Treatment for breast cancer proceeds in the order of surgical removal of the cancer through surgery, followed by chemotherapy and other adjuvant therapies. Breast cancer surgery includes total mastectomy, which removes the entire breast, and partial mastectomy (breast-conserving surgery), which removes only the tumor and some surrounding tissue.

Before the introduction of robotic surgery, conventional surgery involved directly incising the breast, leaving a surgical scar visible from the front. However, robotic breast surgery involves making a 2 to 6 cm incision in the armpit or side, areas hidden by the arm rather than the breast, and inserting robotic endoscopic equipment to remove cancer cells. Thin robotic arms are inserted through the armpit or side to operate inside the chest, leaving almost no scars on the breast itself.

Robotic surgery is also easily applicable to preventive surgeries. It can safely perform prophylactic bilateral total mastectomy, which removes the breasts in advance for patients with BRCA gene mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer. Yonsei Cancer Hospital explains that robotic breast surgery is the optimal surgical method for patients undergoing preventive surgery, as it offers both the preventive effect of breast cancer through breast tissue removal and cosmetic satisfaction.

Following the first robotic breast surgery in Asia, Yonsei Cancer Hospital holds various records. Professor Hyungseok Park is a pioneer in the field, having performed the world's first breast cancer surgery using the latest robotic surgery model, the da Vinci SP (Single Port). As a result, medical staff from prestigious institutions in Europe and Asia, including Harvard Medical School and Mayo Clinic in the United States, visit Yonsei Cancer Center to observe its robotic breast surgeries.

The Breast Cancer Center at Yonsei Cancer Hospital not only improves surgical accuracy through robotic breast surgery but also enhances patient satisfaction through multidisciplinary care involving departments such as plastic surgery. After the breast surgery team completes a total mastectomy, the plastic surgery team immediately performs breast reconstruction surgery using implants.

Professor Hyungseok Park of Yonsei Cancer Hospital said, "Yonsei Cancer Hospital, which first introduced robotic surgery for breast cancer treatment in Asia, recently set the world record by surpassing 500 cases of robotic breast surgery." He added, "We will continue to do our best to improve treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction through multidisciplinary care with various clinical departments, led by robotic surgery."

Meanwhile, according to the 2020 National Cancer Registry statistics, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, accounting for 20.6% (24,923 cases) of cancers occurring in women in Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.