Cervical cancer study draws on the past to create the future of robotic surgery

Determination in the lab has led to a new robotic surgery that could change the treatment of cervical cancer at Ohio State.

Kristin Bixel, MD, is leading a clinical trial at the OSUCCC – James that utilizes a minimally-invasive surgical technique to treat cervical cancer while limiting complications and recovery time.

“One hundred percent of our patients want this type of small-incision surgery,” Bixel says.

Click here to learn more about robotic cancer surgery at the OSUCCC – James.

While the benefits of robotic surgery are great, they have been outweighed by the risk of recurrence of cervical cancer for patients who underwent minimally-invasive radical hysterectomies as part of a previous trial.

“Fifteen percent of those patients had robotic surgery,” Bixel says. “That study demonstrated a higher risk of recurrence and a higher risk of death in patients who had the minimally-invasive surgery.”

While the reasons for the high number of negative outcomes in the first trial haven’t been determined with certainty, Bixel began to think of potential methods to change the surgical approach without abandoning the use of robotics to minimize the impact on patients.

“My mind immediately went to the procedure itself,” Bixel says. “I thought, ‘How can we how can we modify this procedure in order to make it better?’”

Bixel and her OSUCCC – James colleagues soon began to develop a new robotic clinical trial that eliminated exposure of the cervix to the peritoneal cavity, which occurred during the previous trial.

The new study combines techniques used in other procedures to form a new approach to radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer patients.

“We drew from other examples in the literature, and put them together,” Bixel says. “Here’s how we move forward.”

Click here to learn more about cancer clinical trials at the OSUCCC – James.

The trial began at the OSUCCC – James in early 2022, and has since grown to include teams from other leading cancer centers across the U.S.

“It’s been a labor of love to get this project off the ground,” Bixel says. ““If we can make this procedure safe for our patients, that will be huge.”

Click here to learn more about cervical cancer, including risks, symptoms and treatment options at The Ohio State University.