28-year-old Doctor undergoes Robotic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer at Apollo Hospitals, goes on to win Gold Medal
Dr. Venkatesh Munikrishnan, Consultant Colorectal
& Robotic Surgeon, The Apollo Institute of Colorectal Surgery, Chennai
said, “Dr. JD was diagnosed with very low rectal cancer in 2017 when she was 24
years of age, just as she was about to join her medical post-graduation. It was
a shock to her as she expected that even with treatment, her medical dreams
would come to an abrupt halt. This is because conventional surgery for
colorectal cancer leaves patients with a colostomy, i.e., a surgically created
opening in the body that routes bowel waste away into an external colostomy
bag. It was then that she approached us with the hope that we could offer her a
solution that would let her continue her studies and live a normal life. We did
not let her down!”
“With Robotic Colorectal Surgery, we were able to
perform the complex surgery to remove the cancer and reconstruct the colon to
rectal / anal connection, thus avoiding a permanent colostomy. She had an
uneventful recovery, went on to finish her course and excelled, getting the
gold medal. The use of robotic surgery also has several short term benefits
such as less blood loss, quicker recovery, and better maintenance of normal
bodily function,” said Dr. Munikrishnan, giving details of the robotic
procedure.
Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals
Group said, “The World Bank had put the spotlight on the huge impending crisis
from non-communicable diseases in the decade ahead and the impact on
individuals, families and the nation. Cancers in particular are taking a big
toll and colorectal cancers are showing a rise, thus becoming a major threat.
At Apollo, we are bringing in cutting edge medical technology, representing the
next era of healthcare innovation to treat cancers. In 2016, we started a
specialised department for Colorectal Surgery and also simultaneously started
Robotic Colorectal Surgery. This has led to precision surgery that causes
minimal side-effects in patients. The Robotic Colorectal surgery program will
also be extended to other hospitals in the group. We are confident that along
with early diagnosis, this will help in making a significant impact in reducing
the morbidity and mortality from colorectal diseases including colorectal
cancer.”
Ms. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson,
Apollo Hospitals Group said, “The development of the Apollo Institute of
Colorectal Surgery as the only focused super-speciality centre for robotic
colorectal surgery in India, is emblematic of our resolute commitment to
clinical excellence. Over the last few years, there have been several advances
in minimally invasive techniques such as Robotic Colorectal Surgery, which has
led to significant change in the management of colorectal diseases,
particularly for rectal cancer surgery. Also, there is growing evidence of
superior clinical outcomes being achieved, when patients with colorectal
conditions are treated by Colorectal surgeons. In our determination to provide
the best available care in the world to patients, Apollo forged clinical
collaborations with University College, London and Cleveland Clinic, Florida,
USA. Such partnerships ensure that our medical teams are always updated on the
contemporary medical developments and alongside, there is a healthy exchange of
clinical expertise.”
One of India’s first dedicated centres for
management of diseases of the colon, rectum and anus, the Institute offers
Robotic & Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery for Colorectal Cancer and
cutting-edge treatments in Proctology and Pelvic Floor Diseases. The Robotic
Colorectal Surgery Programme is the busiest in the country with over 600
robotic colorectal surgeries completed since its opening in 2016, of which 450
have been performed by Dr. Venkatesh Munikrishnan, who holds the distinction of
being the highest volume robotic colorectal surgeon in the country.
Colorectal cancer is a common cancer globally but
has a low reported incidence in India with GLOBOCAN 2018 ranking colon cancer
13th in terms of incidence and mortality with 27,605 new cases and 19,548
deaths annually. Since 2018, 27,605 new cases have been registered across India
and the total number of patients living with the disease in India is estimated
to be around 53,700. Colorectal cancer is on the rise especially among young
Asian males with unhealthy lifestyle patterns one of the key reasons for its
occurrence.
Dr. Venkatesh Munikrishnan also highlighted the
impact of the COVID pandemic on patients coming for treatment at a later stage
when the cancer is advanced. He said, “A matter of concern has been the rise in
patients coming with late-stage cancer to the hospital since the pandemic
began. There is an urgent need to educate the patients to prevent this ‘stage
migration’ of the cancer from the early stages I and II when it is easy to
treat, to stages III and IV, when recovery can be challenging. It is important
for people to be aware and identify symptoms early so they can get appropriate
care. There is an urgent need to create awareness as symptoms of colorectal
cancer and benign conditions such as haemorrhoids are similar.”
Being the busiest unit in the country with a large
volume of cases, the Apollo Institute of Colorectal Surgery led by Dr.
Munikrishnan currently performs over 750 Colorectal procedures every year of
which 130 are colorectal cancer surgeries with over 110 of these being robotic
surgeries. The high volume of robotic colorectal surgeries allows cost
efficiency with the cost of robotic colorectal surgery almost at par with
standard keyhole surgery. This advancement has also benefitted patients who
present with other colorectal diseases particularly in the treatment of rectal
and pelvic disorders such as rectal cancer or rectal prolapse.
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