Leveraging 5G technology for robotic surgery and cancer care

The field of robotic surgery has seen significant advancements in the past few years and it has been adopted in many large hospitals in the United States and worldwide as a standard for various procedures in recent years. However, the location of many hospitals in urban areas and a lack of surgical expertise in the rural areas could lead to increased travel time and treatment delays for patients in need of robotic surgical management, including cancer patients. The fifth generation (5G) networks have been deployed by various telecom companies in multiple countries worldwide. Our aim is to update the readers about the novel technology and the current scenario of surgical procedures performed using 5G technology. In this article, we also discuss how the technology could aid cancer patients requiring surgical management, the future perspectives, the potential challenges, and the limitations, which would need to overcome prior to widespread real-life use of the technology for cancer care.

The expansion of 5G technology has enabled some countries to conduct remote surgical procedures, tele-mentored and real-time interactive procedures on animal models, cadavers, and humans, demonstrating that 5G networks could offer a potential solution to previously experienced latency and reliability hurdles during the remote surgeries performed in the 2000s.

New technological advancements could serve as a ground for emerging novel therapeutic applications. While limitations and challenges related to the 5G infrastructure, cost, compatibility, and security exist; researching to overcome the limitations and comprehend the potential benefits of integrating the technology into practice would be imminent before widespread clinical use. Remote and tele-mentored 5G-powered procedures could offer a new tool in improving the care of patients requiring robotic surgical management such as prostate cancer patients.