This Multimillion Dollar Robot Will Help Local Men Battle Prostate Cancer

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After years of planning and fundraising, Windsor now has a surgical assisting robot to help battle prostate cancer.

The $2.8 million dollar da Vinci Surgical Assisting Robot arrived Tuesday afternoon at Windsor Regional Hospital’s Metropolitan campus, was unpacked, and was briefly shown to members of the media and key people who played a part in making the acquisition of it possible.

The robot, which officials say mimics a surgeon’s hand movements, allows patients to receive less invasive and less painful surgery with quicker recovery and a lowered risk of post-operative complications compared to traditional surgery.

“The robot platform allows us to minimally invasively remove the prostate,” says Dr. Raj Goel, a surgeon at Windsor Regional who spent two years training in robotics. Goel noted that the incidence rate of prostate cancer is as high as one in seven men.

Planning for purchasing a da Vinci robot began in 2010 and the hospital undertook a $4 million campaign to purchase the machine and related laboratory equipment.

The Windsor Essex County Cancer Centre Foundation’s “It’s In Your Jeans” campaign exceeded the fundraising goal and raised $5.4 million with help from key sponsor Cypher Systems Group.

Training on the machine will take place throughout the summer and the first prostate cancer surgery is expected to take place this fall.