Liverpool surgeons lead Europe in pioneering robotic rectal cancer surgery

Liverpool surgeons have become the first in Europe to use robotic surgery for rectal cancer.

The surgical team at Liverpool’s Aintree University Hospital successfully operated on early-stage rectal cancer using a £2m robot system.

The Colorectal team performed the groundbreaking transanal endoscopic microsurgery for early-stage rectal cancer, using a da Vinci single-port (SP) robotic system, having been the first NHS team to use this surgical device in 2024.

Unlike traditional surgical methods, single-port robotic surgery is minimally invasive. The robot works as an extension of the surgeon’s hand, enabling a level of precision beyond human capability.

A grandmother from Cheshire was the first patient to have surgery with the new system.

For more on this story, see: Liverpool surgeons lead Europe in pioneering robotic rectal cancer surgery :: NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group