Robotic Surgery for Cancer

Currently, robot-assisted surgery is the most common type of robotic surgery used. In robot-assisted surgery, the operator is a surgeon, not a robotic system. Robotic systems assist the surgeons, but do not operate automatically. In this section, we focus on the master-slave type, which is the predominant type of robotic surgery used in cancer treatment, and discuss the role, present status, and the future of surgical robotic system in cancer treatment. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of a robotic system are discussed, but further development of technologies and equipment is necessary to allow the safe, widespread introduction of a robotic system in more advanced surgery for malignant tumors. Such advances in the surgical robotic system will hopefully overcome the remaining problems and provide the ultimate minimally invasive surgery for cancer treatment.