The first symptom was a little bleeding. She couldn’t remember the type of cancer from her nerves

Bożena heard the diagnosis: malignant tumor of the endometrium. She couldn’t even remember the type of cancer from her nerves. She started looking for information on the Internet and found out that endometrial cancer operations are performed with the da Vinci robot at the Krakow Hospital in Klinach. Importantly, such treatments are performed free of charge.

1. Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological neoplasm in Poland
2. Most women are diagnosed early, when the disease is confined to the endometrium
3. Increasingly, endometrial cancer treatment is done using the da Vinci robot
4. The advantage is minimization of surgical trauma and lower blood loss compared to classic laparoscopy
5. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.

Endometrial cancer – how common is it?

As with many oncological patients, everything started unexpectedly in 58-year-old Bożena. At the beginning of the year, she noticed a little bleeding, so she visited the gynecologist. He referred her to a curettage treatment which she did on January 28. She hadn’t even thought then that anything might be wrong, after all, she was taking care of herself and feeling good. In mid-February, they called from the hospital and invited her to visit. Then for the first time she thought that it would not be rosy after all. During the consultation, she found out that she had a malignant tumor of the endometrium, i.e. the endometrium. She couldn’t even remember the type of cancer from her nerves. Twice she asked the doctor: endo-what cancer?

– The most common gynecological cancer in Poland is endometrial cancer. The data of the National Cancer Registry show that in 2019 over 6 new cases of endometrial cancer were recorded in Poland and the disease caused 1,8 deaths. Endometrial cancer is usually diagnosed in postmenopausal women. The average age at diagnosis is 62 years. In most women, due to the characteristic symptoms of this cancer, the diagnosis is made at an early stage, when the disease is limited to the endometrium – says Magdalena Bizoń, MD, a gynecologist and oncologist from Szpital na Klinach in Krakow..

– However, about 21 percent. of women have regional metastases to the pelvic lymph nodes or nearby organs, and in about 9 percent. at the time of diagnosis, the disease is advanced due to the presence of distant metastases, she adds.

Diagnosis: endometrial cancer. What to do?

– What was my first thought after hearing the diagnosis? What and how to do? – says Bożena. – After all, I look after my ailing dad on a daily basis, so I have to choose the best option. I need to get rid of my endometrial cancer with the da Vinci robot, because if male prostate cancer is operated this way, it is probably the best method. I found information on the Internet that the Da Vinci robot operations for patients with endometrial cancer are performed free of charge at the Krakow Hospital in Klinach – he explains.

– The endometrial and cervical cancer treatment program financed by EU funds has been implemented at the Hospital in Klinach in Kraków for several months. The hospital obtained over 7,3 million from European funds for this purpose, thanks to which the procedures are performed free of charge – says Magdalena Bizoń, MD, PhD.

– Since the beginning of the program, more than 170 women have contacted us, we have operated on nearly 80. The youngest patient was 25 years old, and the oldest was 85 years old. The results obtained so far indicate that the applied surgical methods, carried out with the assistance of the da Vinci robot, significantly contribute to the improvement of the quality of surgical treatment of patients with endometrial cancer – adds the gynecologist-oncologist.

Endometrial cancer is treated with the da Vinci robot

Mrs. Bożena decided about the choice of the place and type of surgery in a “feminist” way. She associated that men with prostate cancer are offered robotic operations that are precise and minimally invasive. So she thought that if it was a good method for men, it would also be good for women. She found the details of the procedure and method on her own on the Internet, because she had not heard a word from her gynecologist about robotic operations.

In most cases, gynecologists refer their patients to procedures that they can perform themselves. Meanwhile, according to international guidelines, a patient who is recommended a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) should be provided with detailed information on the basis of which she can make a decision about her life and health. The gynecologist should first of all answer the most common questions that bother patients, such as: Is there any other option to deal with the problem for which the uterus is to be removed? Is there a sparing treatment option? What are the hysterectomy methods: classic (open method), laparoscopic and robotic?

– Surgical treatment using the da Vinci robot is one of the methods of treating endometrial cancer. Its advantage is the minimization of surgical trauma. The surgical robot allows the procedure to be performed with high precision thanks to the 3D full HD vision system and miniaturized surgical tools, which reduces tissue and nerve damage. It also allows for precise access to hard-to-reach places within the small pelvis, which is often impossible with the use of laparotomy and traditional laparoscopy – says Dr. Magdalena Bizoń, MD.

– Patients with gynecological neoplasms, especially those with endometrial cancer, often suffer from comorbidities such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases that increase the risk of intra- and postoperative complications and may lead to abandoning surgical treatment in favor of others therapeutic methods. The use of robotic surgery, especially in obese women, reduces the incidence of complications typical for the classical procedure related to the healing of postoperative wounds. Shorter hospitalization and convalescence time has a positive effect on the patients’ quality of life and enables earlier implementation of adjuvant treatment – adds the doctor.

What does the procedure look like?

– I must admit that I wanted to get into this EU program. Thanks to him, the operation, which commercially costs about 40 thousand. zlotys, would be free. So I made a phone call to Krakow, and Mrs. Agnieszka – the caretaker of the patients – asked me to send the test results. After consulting a doctor and performing additional tests ordered by a gynecologist, at the beginning of March I was informed that I had qualified for this EU program. In the meantime, at the same time, I was considering the option of an operation in a public hospital, although I did not want to go there. In the hospital at the National Health Fund, they told me that I had to take two white shirts with me. To this day, I wonder why I needed them – says Bożena.

Bożena decided to undergo surgery in Krakow, and canceled the second option. Entering Szpital na Klinach, she thought that this was some other world. People smiling and kind, if you ask, they don’t sulk, and there was a dress with shorts waiting for me on the bed. On the day of the surgery, I wanted to meet the doctor who would operate on me – it was prof. Radovan The ball.

– I talked to him, he explained everything to me, so then I just wanted to see this robot. Unfortunately, it was only a fraction of a second, because then the anesthesia started working and I fell asleep – says Bożena.

Bożena was hospitalized for three days. Before her, there was radiation therapy, which she took three throws well. She wanted to return home as soon as possible, because her sick dad was waiting for her there. Thanks to the robotic operation, she was able to take care of him practically right away.

Think positive

– So far, over 26 thousand scientific works on the use of the da Vinci robot, many of them in recent years concern gynecology and indicate the benefits of using the robot in relation to classic laparotomy and laparoscopy. Among others, Johansson CYM, Chan FKH in the publication “Robotic-assisted versus conventional laparoscopic hysterectomy for endometrial cancer” Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol X. 2020; 8: 100116 show that in patients operated on for endometrial cancer, the estimated blood loss was significantly higher in classical laparoscopy than in robotic surgery. Women who underwent surgery with the use of a robot had a shorter stay in the hospital – says Dr. Bizoń.

Several weeks have passed since the surgery and radiotherapy of Bożena. The gynecologist told her the cancer had been destroyed. Now, Bożena tells all her friends to get tested and not postpone these tests. If cancer is detected earlier, it is more likely to be cured. He also tells them to take matters into their own hands, not to wait for information from doctors, but to look for it on their own.

– You have to think positively, because modern technology is also an ally of women – emphasizes Bożena.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time, Olga Komorowska, sound therapist, voice trainer and singer, will talk about what sound therapy is all about. What are the benefits of “faking”, what is vibrotherapy and how is sound wave transmitted? You will find out by listening to the latest episode of our podcast.