Walsall man is one of first to have robot surgery for cancer at Wolverhampton hospital
A Walsall man has become one of the first patients to undergo robotic surgery for throat cancer at a Wolverhampton hospital.
Frank George, who is from Leamore, underwent the operation at New Cross Hospital after discovering a pea-sized lump while shaving.
The robot surgery offers benefits including shorter recovery time, reduced anaesthetic and less time in theatre, creating capacity for more cases.
Frank, 56, was offered the procedure after he was diagnosed with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. A biopsy proved inconclusive but "suspicious cells" were found.
In a four-hour operation at New Cross Hospital with the help of a da Vinci robot, Frank had his tonsils removed after a growth was found in his right tonsil and a tumour was removed from his neck.
The father-of-two spent one night in the Integrated Critical Care Unit (ICCU) after the operation before he was moved to a ward in the Heart and Lung Centre and was discharged just four days post-surgery.
Frank said: "I decided the lump needed investigating and my GP referred me to Mr Emmanuel Diakos, Consultant at Walsall Manor, who booked me in for a biopsy.
"The results were inconclusive but they found suspicious cells. That’s when I was referred to New Cross.
"I feel fine, I have a scar on my neck which I am told will heal but I was out walking within a few days of being discharged. I'm only too happy to have been a major part of this development."
Mr Syed Farhan Ahsan, Consultant, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon at The Royal Wolverhampton Trust (RWT), led the development of the surgery with the help of of Mr John Murphy, Consultant ENT Surgeon and Divisional Medical Director at RWT.
The RWT has said it hopes around 20 patients a year from Wolverhampton, South Staffordshire and Walsall will benefit from the surgery.
