Research Led by 嘿嘿视频 Medical Center Shows Greater Experience Utilizing Robotic Surgery Leads to Better Use for Partial Nephrectomies
Patients with operable kidney cancers were more likely to have a partial nephrectomy 鈥 the recommended treatment for localized tumors 鈥 when treated in hospitals that were early adopters of robotic surgery, according to a new study.
Researchers from 嘿嘿视频 Medical Center and elsewhere, publishing online December 11 in the journal Medical Care, report that by 2008, hospitals that had adopted robotic surgery at the start of the current century (between 2001 and 2004) performed partial nephrectomies in 38% of kidney cancer cases compared to late adopters (2005 to 2008) who performed partial nephrectomies only 24% of the time.
Partial nephrectomy, the removal of a section of the kidney as opposed to the removal of the entire organ, is preferred over total nephrectomy because it can achieve similar outcomes in cancer while avoiding the long-term risks associated with total kidney removal, such as cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney failure and premature death.
鈥淥ur study is the first to show, at the hospital level, that more institutional experience with robotic surgery is likely to have resulted in this increase in partial nephrectomy,鈥 said the study鈥檚 lead author, Ganesh Sivarajan, MD, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Urology at 嘿嘿视频. Hospitals that had not adopted robotics by 2008 performed partial nephrectomies in only 20% of cases.
For their study, the research team analyzed retrospective data on all nephrectomies from all payers from seven states (Arizona, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, and Washington) to extract data on 21,569 kidney cancer surgeries. They then sorted these procedures by hospital, and associated their frequency with the timing of each hospital鈥檚 acquisition of surgical robotics.
Danil V. Makarov, MD, MHS, the study鈥檚 senior author, and Director of Urological Health Services Research at 嘿嘿视频, said: 鈥淩obotic surgery was not originally designed for treatment of kidney tumors, but what we see here is a case of reinvention, or adaptation. In this case, the reinvention has served to provide patients increased access to an underutilized, guideline-supported procedure.鈥
Robotics offers other important advantages over laparoscopic and open surgery, according to Dr. Sivarajan. 鈥淚t has outstanding magnification and permits improved manual dexterity,鈥 he said.
Robotic surgery has been the focal point of many debates, specifically over its high acquisition and operating costs, but also over its role in improving patient outcomes. However, as this study demonstrates, it allows surgeons in many cases to preserve vital organs, improve quality of care and keep up with new clinical practice guidelines.
鈥淲e strongly believe that our analysis offers significant public health implications for the delivery of guideline-based care for kidney cancer,鈥 Dr. Makarov said. 鈥淎s we move toward expanded use of cost effectiveness data, we need to leave room for this sort of evolution.鈥
Glen B. Taksler, PhD, Dawn Walter, MPH, Cary P. Gross, MD, and R. Ernest Sosa, MD, coauthored the research.
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