Doctors call it a disease of welfare. “The patient blamed the sedentary work and it was cancer”

– Sometimes only my cross and lower stomach ached. I blamed it on my sedentary work, it turned out to be endometrial cancer. “You have to find the hospital as soon as possible and have it removed,” the doctor told me bluntly. Due to fate, Ms. Halina found a program of free operations using the da Vinci robot at the Hospital in Klinach in Krakow. Five days after the surgery, she was at home, healthy. Who can benefit from free surgeries, how are they going, and what is endometrial cancer and why it is called a “welfare disease”, explains Maciej Olszewski, MD, PhD, gynecologist-oncologist.

1. Endometrial cancer / endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive organs. Unfortunately, it affects more and more women every year
2. Postmenopausal women are particularly vulnerable, and obesity, diabetes and hypertension increase the risk
3. The absence of symptoms in endometrial cancer is rare, but this was the case with Halina. – Sometimes only my cross and lower stomach ached. It turns out that back pain may be a signal of “women’s problems”
4. At the Szpital na Klinach in Kraków, Ms Halina underwent laparoscopic surgery using a da Vinci robot. The treatment was free of charge (usually its cost amounts to approx. PLN 40 thousand)
5. The surgery was on Tuesday and I was home on Saturday. I was returning to Warsaw alone, by train, no problems, no pain – the patient is happy
6. The program of free operations with the use of the da Vinci robot includes 200 treatments: 50 in the group of patients with cervical cancer and 150 patients with endometrial cancer. How can it be used? We give details
7. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

«It turned out I have endometrial cancer. I could not believe that”

– I was guided by some intuition and in the end it saved me – Ms Halina tells Medonet. – After the worst time of the autumn pandemic, I decided to catch up and go to the gynecologist. The doctor noticed that the endometrium was very enlarged. The histopathological tests that were done to me in the hospital showed that it was endometrial cancer. I couldn’t believe it – recalls a 73-year-old woman.

Endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive organs. Because it develops in the lining of the womb, it is called endometrial cancer. Postmenopausal women are particularly vulnerable to the disease. The risk is additionally increased by obesity, diabetes and arterial hypertension. – Paradoxically, these ailments are related to the improvement of the quality of life. In a sense, endometrial cancer can be considered a disease of welfare – points out a specialist in the field of oncological gynecology and a certified da Vinci robot operator, Maciej Olszewski, MD, PhD.

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Unfortunately, every year more and more women struggle with endometrial cancer. It is influenced by the disease triad, which Dr. Olszewski talked about. – Even 20 years ago, we had about 3,6 thousand in Poland. diagnoses of endometrial cancer annually. Today there are twice as many, more than 6,5 thousand. – indicates the gynecologist. – Unfortunately, the number of deaths due to this disease is also increasing, and the main reason for this is the fact that women report to the doctor too late. This is a big problem – he admits.

The rest of the text below the video.

Emergency signal. “It cannot be underestimated”

Endometrial cancer may be asymptomatic and although it is rare, it was just like that with Halina. – Sometimes only my cross and lower stomach ached. I blamed it on my sedentary work. It turns out, however, that back pain can be a signal of “women’s problems”, he tells Medonet. Fortunately, the woman tried to get regular examinations, but it is not a rule for us. – When I ask patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer why they did not see the gynecologist, I often hear: because I felt good, because nothing hurt. Meanwhile, the precancerous condition or early stage of cancer does not hurt – explains Dr. Maciej Olszewski.

That is why regular examinations are so important (prevention is the most important thing in cancer). – Once a year, a visit to the gynecologist, pap smear and vaginal ultrasound is an absolute must – the specialist lists. – In case of any suspicions, the doctor will order detailed tests and, if necessary, implement appropriate measures.

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Maciej Olszewski, MD, PhD, gynecologist oncologist

An alarm signal for postmenopausal women should be spotting or vaginal bleeding, even the slightest, most gentle. This cannot be underestimated. Endometrial cancer is a cancer that can be detected relatively easily and quickly. And it is precisely because symptoms appear early in the disease when it can be successfully treated.

Halina admits it: – I was fortunate enough that I was diagnosed with the disease very early, the cancer did not spread, there were no metastases.

“You have to find a hospital as soon as possible and remove it.” How is endometrial cancer treated?

In the treatment of endometrial cancer, the method of choice, i.e. the most important one, is surgery, namely the radical removal of the reproductive organ along with the ilio-obturator lymph nodes. – If it happens in the first stage of the disease, the prognosis is very good: 95 percent. cures – says Dr. Olszewski, adding that the more advanced the cancer, the lower the cure rate. This is what Ms Halina heard. – «You need to find the hospital as soon as possible and remove it», the doctor told me straightforwardly.

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– In two facilities in Warsaw, I heard that it was a serious operation, that I had to cut my stomach, and my overweight was also in favor of it – says the woman. – But I have a serious heart defect, so I was afraid that I might not wake up from the surgery. Doctors did not rule out such a development, but emphasized that the procedure was necessary and that it was an opportunity for me. However, my uncertainty grew – recalls Ms Halina. – When I got home, I started looking for news about endometrial cancer surgeries. Then I found out about a laparoscopic operation using the da Vinci robot, which is carried out by the Hospital in Klinach in Krakow.

Dr. Olszewski explains that the treatment of endometrial cancer uses traditional methods, i.e. classic abdominal surgery, but also minimally invasive techniques: laparoscopic and robotic. – I knew that one of the private hospitals in Warsaw also had such a robot. It turned out, however, that the cost of the procedure is approx. PLN 40. (currently robotic surgery is not reimbursed in Poland). This is a huge amount, especially for a pensioner like me. Meanwhile, the Hospital in Klinach offered this procedure for free (it is possible thanks to funding from the Regional Operational Program of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, it also applies to patients diagnosed with cervical cancer – editor’s note). So I decided to call Krakow – recalls Ms Halina.

Free operation using the da Vinci robot. “Literally nothing hurt”

– On the other side of the handset I heard Mrs. Agnieszka’s nice voice. She instructed me to send the test results by e-mail. I did it and in an hour’s time I was informed that I was eligible for surgery. «Please do not hesitate any longer and visit us as soon as possible. Time plays a huge role here », Agnieszka told me. But I was still afraid. I thought: I don’t have symptoms, why bother touching it all. In the end, however, I got on the train and went to Krakow.

– Everything happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to think about it or be afraid of it. And this is the best strategy, says Halina. The operation itself lasted about 2,5 hours. Maciej Olszewski, MD, PhD explains that the shortest procedures with the use of a robot last 1,5 to 2 hours, the more complicated ones – even 4-5 hours.

Photo Hospital in Kliny in Krakow

– I woke up satisfied. Literally nothing hurt. Of course, the painkillers worked, but I actually took them very briefly. There were only five holes on my stomach, sealed with a bandage. On the second day after surgery, I was encouraged to get up and walk. At first, little by little, with help, then alone – says Halina. The patient spent less than a week in the hospital. – The treatment was on Tuesday, and I was at home on Saturday. Imagine that after such an operation I was returning to Warsaw alone, by train, without any problems, without pain – she is happy.

In classic open surgery, the biggest problem is the healing of the wound, which is usually large, and therefore more painful and more difficult for the patient to function. – In the case of robotic surgery, the pain is incomparably less, the wounds are minimal (five small cuts in the skin about 1 cm long), hence difficulties with healing rarely arise. It is very quick to get in shape and in most cases it takes only a few days – explains Dr. Olszewski. – Sometimes we rub our eyes in amazement when we see a patient who, after a long and arduous oncological surgery, gets out of bed the very next day, asks for the removal of all «wires» (drains, catheter) and wants to walk.

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Therefore, the procedure with the use of the da Vinci robot is especially dedicated to obese patients (obesity increases the risk of problems with healing postoperative wounds, hinders convalescence). In fact, this method is recommended for every patient.

Free uterine cancer surgery using the da Vinci robot. How to participate in the program?

– I am alive as if there was no surgery at all – said Ms Halina several weeks after the operation. Changing dressings at home was no problem. I was provided with prescriptions for ointments and painkillers, but I didn’t use much of it, there was no need. Today I have only slight traces of these holes. The most important thing is that nothing hurt at all. I was surprised by all of this, in the best sense of the word. Care, atmosphere, so important for the patient – everything was really at the highest level. I am very grateful to the fate that I found myself in this hospital – he tells us.

– To all women who are faced with a dilemma like me, who are afraid of operations involving the da Vinci robot, I would like to tell them to believe that everything will be fine. That it’s worth it and it’s not terrible. Taking advantage of the opportunity offered by Szpital na Klinach, i.e. taking advantage of such a procedure for free, is the best thing they can do. I am the best proof of this – says Ms Halina, adding: – I hope that in the future such treatments will be reimbursed by the state, that there will be wide access to them.

To use the procedure, all you need to do is contact the Hospital on Klinach in Krakow, and more precisely with Mrs. Agnieszka Grabowska, who acts as an Individual Patient Caregiver. – He will answer every question of the patient – says Dr. Maciej Olszewski. The program lasts until June – July 2023 and covers 200 treatments financed: 50 in the group of patients with cervical cancer and 150 patients with endometrial cancer.