The A.P. Møller Foundation is funding the acquisition of advanced a high-tech robot and two fluorescent cameras for Rigshospitalet and the University of Copenhagen to contribute to significantly better treatment of patients with throat cancer, and for continued research into the ground-breaking method of treatment.
On the basis of close research collaboration on improving the surgical treatment of throat cancer, the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, with main applicant Professor Christian von Buchwald and the Cluster of Molecular Imaging at the University of Copenhagen, have received a grant of DKK 32.5 million from the A.P. Møller Foundation.
"This is an important grant, because it will support important long-term research in the area, and the robot technology will benefit patients from day one. In future, I hope patients will be able to recover more quickly and with a lower risk of falling ill again, and that's worth a lot for patients, their relatives and for society," said the Chairman of the Regional Council in the Capital Region of Denmark, Lars Gaardhøj (Social Democrats).
This is what the arms of the new robot look like.
The head the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Mads Klokker, is also enthusiastic about the grant. He believes that the robot will be ground-breaking for patients and surgeons.
"The advanced robotics will give a massive boost to the department for our patients and our surgeons. We can now offer more gentle surgery to our cancer patients, and the method also has huge potential for treatment of other groups such as sleep surgery," said Mads Klokker.
Effective alternative to radiotherapy
The grant means that, on behalf of Rigshospitalet, the department can now procure the latest and most up-to-date, high-technology robot and fluorescent cameras to improve operations on patients with throat cancer, i.e. primarily cancer of the tonsils and the tongue root.
After injection of fluorescent molecules that bind to cancer cells, the surgeon will be able to localise the cancer more accurately, and using the robot remove the cancerous tissue more gently than before. The optimised operation technique is an effective alternative to radiotherapy, and is also expected to reduce the risk of the cancer returning.
"Of course we're very proud and grateful to receive this impressive grant. The grant makes it possible for us to develop our cancer surgery towards even more gentle and effective procedures for patients with throat cancer," said Professor Christian von Buchwald from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology at Rigshospitalet, and he explained that the new robot takes operations from three robot arms to just one.
"The procedure itself is less invasive and takes less time, and this should also give patients a better and less painful pathway after their surgery so they should be able to return to normal life more quickly.”
Denmark is a high-risk country for HPV-related cancer
In Denmark, more and more patients are being diagnosed with throat cancer caused by HPV. The same applies for the rest of Scandinavia and the US and Canada, all of which are high-risk countries for HPV-induced cancer.
"Particularly in the light of the development of HPV-related cancer, it is very important that, with this grant, we can now continue our research and link research and surgery even closer together to the benefit of patients," said Christian von Buchwald.
The collaboration between the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology at Rigshospitalet and Professor Andreas Kjær with the Cluster of Molecular Imaging at the University of Copenhagen has been in place for several years, and the departments are part of the internationally recognised “Clinical Academic Group”. The group is looking forward to continuing their collaboration and research within optically guided surgery for cancer patients.
"The funding means we can remain among the leaders within robotic surgery. Together, we've built up a strong and broad ambitious platform with focus on developing and improving the trace elements so they are even better at only attaching to the cancer cells, thereby helping surgeons target just the sick cells. This means we can remove all the cancer, and avoid loss of function by preserving healthy tissue. It's much more gentle and safer for patients, both while they are on the operating table and in their post-operative pathway," explained Andreas Kjær.
The new, advanced, high-tech robot and two fluorescent cameras should be installed and put into service in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology at Rigshospitalet during April 2024. The first results from the research project are expected in the near future.