By : Nelly All 

The adoption of robotic technology in prostate cancer treatment leads to 70-90% percent success, said a renowned urologist at Apollo Hospitals. Dr. Deepak Bolbandi, Senior Consultant, Urologist, and Kidney Transplant Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals in Bangalore, shared that all developed and developing countries have already adopted robotic technology to treat prostate cancer since its introduction eight to 10 years ago. The prostate is considered the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer death among men worldwide as per the American Cancer Society. In the Middle East, the prostate has been identified as one of the top five cancers among men in the region. Dr Bolbandi said that use of robotic surgery will significantly surge in the coming years given the intensified drive to adopt the newest technological innovations in the healthcare field, especially in the GCC. “It is a ‘gold standard’ in the treatment of prostate cancer, especially in those cases diagnosed at an early stage. Robotic surgery has helped increase the accuracy of treatment and fast-track the recovery time with good continence and potency rates. Furthermore, it is minimally invasive and cosmetically better post-surgery. This technology can even be used to treat paediatric cases, too,” Dr. Bolbandi, the first urologist to enter the Guinness Book Of World Records after removing a maximum number of stones from a single kidney, explained. The doctor whose specialisation include kidney stone surgery, urologic oncology, andrology, paediatric urology, and female urology has placed the method’s success rate at 70 percent regionally and 90 percent globally. But the numbers are expected to increase with the introduction of next-generation robots with far superior results over the last two years. Apollo Hospitals has been treating patients suffering from prostate cancer from the Middle Eastern states, along with those coming from Tanzania, Uganda, and Cameroon, using robotic technology. Apollo Hospitals is known for its state-of-the-art facilities and highly trained teams of medical specialists, one of whom is Dr. Bolbandi. The doctor was granted fellowship by Changi General Hospitals in Singapore, reinforcing further his skills and expertise in laser, laparoscopy, and renal transplant.