The Duke of Cambridge scrubbed up to observe a pioneering robotic surgery at Royal Marsden Hospital where he serves as president.
Anna White is battling Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a rare form of cancer. The pioneering surgery, observed by the Duke, reduces recovery times and the invasiveness of traditional surgery. As well as that, it reduces 12-hour open surgery to a much simpler two-hour operation.
The robot means that surgeons can remotely cut away tumours without resorting to invasive surgery techniques. Later in the day, he observed another surgery by Professor Vin Paleri who talked him through the procedure.
While there, the Duke had the chance to train on one of the robotic consoles.
He also toured the wards and spoke to numerous patients. He met cancer patient Joe Omar, as well as his wife and daughter. They talked about the skills of the surgeon with Prince William saying: “It’s fascinating watching the robot work, it’s so precise, you see it up close and you can really see how the human body is and how it works.”
Prince William spoke about his observations during surgery saying: “You’re literally going right into the tumour so you see exactly with precision where the tumour is – it’s incredible – I was really, really impressed with it.”
During the visit, he also learned about the training scheme offered by the Royal Marsden Cancer charity. It trains surgeons from across the UK on how to provide robotic surgery.
William became President of the Royal Marsden Trust in 2007. Before that, it was held by his mother who had the role from 1989 until her death in 1997. Diana, Princess of Wales, held the work of the Trust close to her heart. At the time of his appointment, Prince William said that he was proud to be able to carry on her work.
Good for him! Diana would be proud.
She IS proud!