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Which cancer operations can be done robotically? | CION Cancer Clinics
Robotic surgery is used most often for cancers deep in the pelvis and belly: prostate, womb, kidney, bladder and rectum. It is also used for some operations on the food pipe, stomach, lung and throat. Whether your own operation can be robotic depends on the tumour, your health and the team's experience with that exact operation. This page sets out where it is used and what to ask. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Which cancer operations can be done with a robot?
- Where in the body is it used for cancer?
- When is a robotic operation more likely, or less likely, to be offered?
- What decides whether your operation can be robotic?
- How will your team choose the approach?
- What do people wrongly assume about robotic operations?
- What should you ask the centre?
- Common questions about which operations can be robotic
The short answer
Which cancer operations can be done with a robot?
Robotic surgery is used most often for cancers deep in the pelvis and belly, such as the prostate, womb, kidney, bladder and rectum. It is also used for some operations on the food pipe, stomach, lung and throat. Whether your own operation can be done this way depends on the tumour and on you, not only on the organ.
Why the pelvis comes first
The pelvis is a narrow, bony space packed with nerves, blood vessels and organs. Reaching the bottom of it through an open cut is hard, and stitching there with straight keyhole instruments is harder still. Instruments that bend like a wrist, with a magnified view, make the most difference in exactly this kind of cramped space.
What "can be done" really means
Almost any operation that can be done by ordinary keyhole surgery can, in principle, be done with a robot. That does not mean it should be. For some operations the robot adds time and cost without a clear gain for patients. For others, studies suggest some benefit in recovery, though the evidence for many cancers is still building.
Around the body
Where in the body is it used for cancer?
A general picture, not a list of what any one hospital provides. What is available varies from centre to centre.
Urology
Among the earliest uses, and still the most common.
Operations include
- Removing the prostate
- Removing part or all of a kidney
- Removing the bladder
Gynaecology
Used widely for cancer of the womb, often with removal of nearby lymph nodes, the small glands where cancer can spread first.
For cervical cancer, a large study found keyhole and robotic removal of the womb did worse than open surgery for many women, so many teams now prefer an open operation there.Bowel and rectum
Most useful low in the pelvis, where the rectum sits close to the nerves that control the bladder and sexual function.
Food pipe, stomach, pancreas and liver
Used in selected cases at centres with specific experience. These are complex operations, and the robot is one of several ways to do them.
Chest
Some lung cancers, and tumours in the space between the lungs, can be removed through small cuts between the ribs.
Throat
Transoral robotic surgery reaches some tumours at the back of the throat through the open mouth, without cutting through the jaw to get there.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistOften and less often
When is a robotic operation more likely, or less likely, to be offered?
More likely to be considered
Less likely to be considered
A tumour contained within one organ
A tumour grown into nearby organs or large blood vessels
An operation deep in a narrow space, like the pelvis
An operation where open access is simpler and quicker
Fit enough for a longer anaesthetic with a tilt
Serious heart or lung problems that make the tilt or gas unsafe
Few or no earlier operations in that area
Heavy scarring from several earlier operations
Your own case
What decides whether your operation can be robotic?
The organ is only the starting point. Your surgical team looks at the whole picture, and the answer can differ between two people with the same cancer.
The tumour
Its size, its stage, meaning how far it has spread, and exactly where it sits all matter. A tumour pressing on a major blood vessel may need the direct control of an open operation.
You
Your weight, lung and heart health, and any earlier operations change how safe the tilt, the gas and a longer anaesthetic are. None of these is an automatic no.
The team
A robotic operation depends on the surgeon's experience with that particular operation, not with the robot in general. This page cannot tell you whether your operation should be robotic. Only your treating team, with your scans and reports in front of them, can do that.
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How the decision is made
How will your team choose the approach?
Complete the tests
Scans and a biopsy report show the tumour's size, stage and position. Without them, nobody can say which approach suits you.
Discuss it together
Surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists review your case as a group. Sometimes surgery is not the first step at all.
Check your fitness
Heart, lung and blood tests, and often a visit to the anaesthetist, show whether a longer keyhole operation is safe for you.
Explain the options
Your surgeon should tell you which approach they recommend, why, and what the other choices would mean for you.
Commonly believed
What do people wrongly assume about robotic operations?
"If an operation can be done robotically, it should be."
Possible is not the same as better. For some operations, studies have not shown a clear advantage over ordinary keyhole or open surgery, and the robot adds cost.
"Robotic surgery is only for early cancer."
It is used more often for contained tumours, but some larger operations are done robotically by experienced teams. Stage is one factor among several, not a fixed rule.
"Every big hospital can do every robotic operation."
Having a machine does not mean having a surgeon trained for your specific operation. Experience is built one specialty at a time, so ask about your operation, not the hospital in general.
Take this with you
What should you ask the centre?
- Is my operation commonly done robotically by this team?
- Who will be at the console for the main part?
- How often does the surgeon do this operation this way?
- What would the plan be without the robot?
- When would you switch to open surgery?
- How does the cost differ, and what does my scheme cover?
Questions we are asked
Common questions about which operations can be robotic
Can breast cancer surgery be done robotically?
Breast cancer operations are usually done through a cut on the breast or under the arm, and most do not need keyhole access at all. Robotic operations on the breast have been studied at a small number of centres, but they are not routine. Ask your breast surgeon which approach suits your tumour and why.
Is robotic surgery used for mouth cancer?
Most mouth cancers are removed through the open mouth or the neck, without a robot. Robotic surgery through the mouth is used mainly for some tumours at the back of the throat and the base of the tongue. Whether it suits you depends on the tumour's size and exact position, which your head and neck surgeon will explain.
The doctor said open surgery. Does that mean the cancer is worse?
Not necessarily. Open surgery is chosen for many reasons: the tumour's position, earlier operations, your fitness, or evidence that it gives better results for that cancer. It is a considered choice, not a lesser one. Ask your surgeon what made them recommend it for you.
Can it be done after chemotherapy or radiotherapy?
Often yes. Treatment before surgery can leave tissues stiffer and scarred, which can make any operation harder, keyhole or open. Your surgeon will look at your scans after treatment and decide which approach is safest. Tell them about every earlier treatment you have had.
Is it available outside Hyderabad?
Robotic systems are more often found in large city hospitals than in district towns. Travelling for an operation means planning for the stay, follow-up visits and the journey home. Ask whether some of your follow-up can happen closer to where you live.
Can children have robotic cancer surgery?
It is used for some children's operations at specialist centres, but much less often than in adults. A child's small body and the rarity of childhood cancers make experience harder to build. A paediatric surgical oncologist is the right person to advise on this.
Can the robot remove lymph nodes too?
Yes. Lymph nodes near the tumour are often removed in the same robotic operation, for example in the pelvis during prostate, womb or rectal surgery. They go to the laboratory with the tumour, and the pathology report, the laboratory's findings under the microscope, shows whether cancer had reached them.
Does robotic surgery cost the same for every operation?
No. The cost depends on the operation, how long it takes, the instruments used and the length of your stay. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS and cashless insurance treat the robotic part differently. Ask the centre for a written estimate for your operation and check it against your cover.
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
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Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
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Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
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Medical Oncologist
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Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
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Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
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Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Surgery to Treat Cancer
- American Cancer Society — Cancer Surgery
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for cancer
- Cancer.Net — What to Know About Cancer Surgery
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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