Surgeon Is First To Remove Kidney And Prostate Through Single, Small Incision

Main Category: Prostate / Prostate Cancer
Also Included In: Urology / Nephrology;  Cancer / Oncology;  Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 25 Apr 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) surgeon Rabii Madi, M.D., became the first in the nation to perform a double robotic surgery, removing a patient's cancerous kidney and cancerous prostate through a single, small incision using the da Vinci Surgical System robot.

"This is a big step forward for surgery and a tremendous advantage for the patient," said Madi, an oncologist with a focus on the kidney and prostate, and special training in minimally invasive and robotic techniques. "Having both procedures done this way minimized surgical risks, the use of anesthesia, his recovery time, time away from work, pain and his financial burden."

The patient, Tracy Huff, of Watson, Okla., was referred to Madi after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. A follow-up CT scan revealed his kidney cancer. During a visit with Madi a week after surgery, Huff said he was amazed by the robotic procedure.

"I thought the worst when I found out I had cancer," Huff said. "But it's amazing what UAMS can do. It's given me a new chance on life."

Removal of the kidney and the prostate traditionally has been done using much longer incisions, which are more painful and heal more slowly. And each procedure would have been done separately, several weeks apart, further delaying the patient's return to normal activities.

"Recovery time for both big surgeries would have taken at least eight weeks," Madi said.

Madi said Huff was selected for the procedure due to his relatively young age 46 and overall good health, because he was under anesthesia for about six hours. The robotic time for removing the kidney was 1 hour and 40 minutes, and removing the prostate took 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Although the treatment for Huff's case marks a first, the kidney/prostate diagnosis isn't new, and it won't be the last, Madi said. "The incidence of kidney cancer and prostate cancer is going up," he said.

Huff, who spent just three days in the hospital after surgery, has been cleared to return to work next week.

"I'm in no pain whatsoever," Huff said.

The surgery is the first to be done involving the complete removal of the kidney and prostate and performed by the same surgeon. The procedure was almost duplicated recently at the Vattikuti Urology Institute at Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan, which is renowned for its use of robotic surgery. In that case, the cancerous organs were removed through the same incision, but two surgeons were involved, with one removing the prostate and the other removing part of a kidney.

UAMS is the state's only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a new 540,000-square-foot hospital, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has 2,652 students and 733 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is the state's largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children's Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS' Area Health Education Centers throughout the state.

Source: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences