New robotic platform enhances surgical precision and accuracy
Samsung Medical Center has taken another quantum leap forward in the treatment of lung and esophageal cancer.
The hospital announced that its Division of Thoracic Surgery has introduced the da Vinci 5 (DV5), a robotic surgical system dedicated to lung and esophageal procedures. Having become the first institution in Asia to adopt a dedicated robotic surgery platform for thoracic and esophageal surgery back in 2023, Samsung Medical Center has now upgraded its equipment further, enabling single-port surgery as well.
The Division of Thoracic Surgery expects the introduction of the da Vinci 5 to translate into even better outcomes for patients undergoing surgery for lung and esophageal cancer.
The division is already known for combining safety with consistently strong outcomes: as of 2025, the 30-day and in-hospital mortality rate stood at just 0.1% for lung cancer and 0% for esophageal cancer. The five-year relative survival rate for patients treated at the center is similarly striking—65.7% for lung cancer, far above the national average of 42.5% in Korea and 28.1% in the United States. For esophageal cancer, the center's survival rate of 62.5% likewise outpaces both the Korean (43.5%) and U.S. (21.9%) averages by a wide margin.
Compared with its predecessor, the da Vinci 5 is equipped with features that support even greater surgical precision, and is expected to further improve the accuracy of procedures across thoracic and esophageal surgery, including lung and esophageal cancer operations.
"We have pioneered high-difficulty procedures in the field of lung and esophageal cancer through a multidisciplinary approach," said Dr. Hong Kwan Kim, Chair of the Division of Thoracic Surgery. "We will continue to advance minimally invasive techniques, including robotic surgery, with patients' quality of life always in mind."
Samsung Medical Center was also recently named the top hospital in the Asia-Pacific region for pulmonology and respiratory care for a third consecutive year, from 2024 through 2026, in rankings released by Newsweek. The center also ranked first in Asia in gastroenterology and digestive care—a category that includes esophageal cancer—in that field's inaugural evaluation this year.
In 2025, the division also became the first in Korea to be designated a robotic surgery Epicenter in the field of thoracic and esophageal surgery. The Epicenter designation is awarded by Intuitive Surgical, maker of the da Vinci system, to select institutions it trusts to train surgeons and medical staff from other hospitals.