Yonsei University Health System announced Tuesday that Professor Choi Young-deuk of the Urologic Cancer Center at Yonsei Cancer Hospital has surpassed 7,000 robotic surgeries in urologic cancers, including prostate cancer. It is unusual for a single physician, rather than a single hospital, to set a record of 7,000 robotic urologic cancer surgeries.
The patient who became the 7,000th case, a 74-year-old prostate cancer patient surnamed Jung, has recovered without significant complications and been discharged.
After performing his first robotic surgery in 2005, Choi reached 1,000 cases in 2012, 3,000 cases in 2017, and 6,000 cases in 2023, adding another 1,000 cases in about three years.
The number of prostate cancer patients in Korea has been steadily rising due to factors such as an aging population and changes in dietary habits. Early detection is difficult because initial symptoms are not distinct and may appear as residual urine sensation, frequent urination, and difficulty urinating. Treatment strategies vary greatly depending on the progression of the cancer and the patient's condition, and the surgery is also highly difficult. Because nerves and blood vessels involved in urination and sexual function are densely concentrated around the prostate, precise surgical technique is required to accurately remove cancerous tissue while preserving normal tissue as much as possible. Minimizing bleeding and nerve damage while operating within the narrow pelvic cavity determines the patient's post-surgery quality of life, including urinary and sexual function.
This is why robotic surgery is widely used in prostate cancer treatment. Robotic surgery allows the surgical site to be magnified and examined through high-resolution three-dimensional imaging, and the robotic arms enable precise resection and suturing even in narrow spaces. The small incisions reduce pain and bleeding and help patients recover quickly.
Choi's specialty is the "extraperitoneal approach," which does not open the peritoneum. In typical robotic prostate cancer surgery, the robotic arms are inserted into the abdominal cavity, creating a possibility of organ damage. Because the extraperitoneal approach does not pass through the abdominal cavity, it accesses the space above the bladder from below the navel, reducing the risk of intestinal damage and lowering post-surgery pain and recovery time. However, the space in which the robotic arms can move is extremely limited, requiring a high level of skill. Drawing on clinical experience accumulated over many years, Choi has stably performed the extraperitoneal approach, significantly reducing the burden on patients. He is also leading the advancement of patient-tailored robotic prostatectomy, applying different techniques depending on the cancer stage, tumor location, and form.
"Because the location, form, and progression of the cancer are all different for each patient, robotic surgery must also be performed precisely according to the patient's condition," Choi said. "I will not be satisfied with the achievements so far, and I will continue to do my best to advance surgical techniques so that more patients can be treated more safely."
