Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 30, 2025
Robot-assisted Total Mesorectal Excision and Lateral Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection for Locally Advanced Middle-low Rectal Cancer
Published on: February 12, 2022
The current status of robotic surgery for endometrial cancer in Japan
Tomoko Gota1, Kensuke Tomio1, Taichi Kurose1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center Hospital of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
The da Vinci® surgical system (Intuitive Surgical Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA) was approved in 2009 by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. In gynecology, robotic surgery for hysterectomy for benign indications and early-stage endometrial cancer has been covered by National Health Insurance since 2018. In a context where the da Vinci surgical system has prevailed in urology departments in Japan, gynecological robotic surgery has spread rapidly once it was covered by insurance. Although minimally invasive gynecologic surgery (minimally invasive surgery, or MIS) in Japan has a specific context, there are several problems with its safety, surgeon education, and cost in Japan. To maximize the many advantages of robotic surgery, its effectiveness needs to be carefully evaluated and this new technology needs to be safely incorporated in practice.
