'My robotic cancer surgery was a game changer'
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)A fundraiser who has undergone two robotic cancer surgeries has described the technique as a "game-changer".
Joe Argue, from Wythall, has had two successful robotic surgeries at University Hospital Coventry to remove a tumour in his colon and liver.
The 76-year-old described the experience as "remarkable" and added he could not speak highly enough of robotic surgery.
It comes as the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) received a £2m Da Vinci Xi robot, which it said would boost their robotic procedures by more than 440 to 1,300 a year.
Mr Argue had his first robotic surgery in March 2021 to remove a tumour in his colon, then a second in November 2022 to remove a liver tumour.
"Just five weeks after being diagnosed, I had the operation, and when I was up on the ward in recovery, I asked the nurse if I had actually had anything done because there were no aches or pains at all," he said.
Funded by the UHCW charity, the Da Vinci Xi is the third robot bought using charitable funds.
Mr Argue is one of the fundraisers who has helped fund the robotic surgery systems through his cycling efforts as part of the Birmingham Irish Cycle Appeal (BICA).
He said he was back on his bike within months of having both surgeries.
"The two rides we have done since to help raise funds have both been more than 500 miles, and I have completed them both on a manual bike, so that is a testimony to how good the recovery can be," he said.
"I am now out on my bike three times a week training for this year's cycle."
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)The robotic surgical systems are used to perform a range of operations, which include the removal of tumours for cancer patients.
Jawad Ahmad, surgeon at UHCW NHS Trust, said as well as being minimally invasive, patients also benefit from earlier access to post-operative treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, have minimal scarring and have fewer interoperative and post-operative complications.
"Since we started robotic surgery in 2013, we have become a multi-disciplinary centre of excellence," said Mr Ahmad.
"Thousands of cancer patients have benefitted from successful surgery."
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