Five-year relative survival rate for gastric cancer patients hits 89.5%
Samsung Medical Center announced that it has recently performed its 1,500th robotic surgery for gastric cancer.
The hospital has steadily expanded its use of minimally invasive surgery to reduce patients' pain, blood loss and scarring. Of the 1,174 gastric cancer surgeries performed at the hospital last year, 256, or 22%, were robotic procedures. Samsung Medical Center expects this growth to accelerate following its recent introduction of the da Vinci 5 (DV5), the latest robotic surgical system, dedicated exclusively to gastrointestinal surgery.
Samsung Medical Center is the only hospital in South Korea with a DV5 system dedicated to gastrointestinal surgery. "With a dedicated robotic system, we anticipate further advances in surgical techniques that improve gastric cancer treatment outcomes while preserving patients' quality of life," said Dr. Jun Ho Lee, Chair of Gastrointestinal Surgery. "We will continue working to develop surgical techniques that deliver better outcomes for our patients."
The hospital also expects treatment outcomes for gastric cancer patients to improve further. The five-year relative survival rate for gastric cancer patients treated at Samsung Medical Center is 89.5%, well above the Korean average of 78.6% and the U.S. average of 37.9%. In addition, the hospital's 90-day postoperative mortality rate is 0.42%, about half the 0.98% average among tertiary general hospitals in Korea.
"Reaching a cumulative 1,500 robotic gastric cancer surgeries once again demonstrates our world-class expertise," said Dr. Jeeyun Lee, Director of the Gastric Cancer Center and a hematology-oncology specialist. "Through accurate diagnosis and optimal treatment, we will open a new chapter in gastric cancer care."