Surgeons at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi have performed a fully robotic procedure to prevent colon cancer in a 37-year-old woman with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP), a rare inherited condition linked to a near-100% lifetime risk of the disease if untreated.
The complex operation required surgeons to work within the narrow pelvic cavity while preserving nerves that control urinary and bowel function. According to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, robotic assistance provided greater precision and control during the procedure.
The patient had a strong family history of colon cancer and was diagnosed with FAP early last year after specialist assessment and a colonoscopy. Although her symptoms were mild, the condition causes polyps to develop over time and almost always progresses to colorectal cancer without preventive surgery.
“With Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, colon cancer is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’,” said Dr. Ali Al Jaberi, a colorectal surgery physician at the hospital’s Digestive Disease Institute.
Following the initial operation, the patient underwent a second procedure to reverse a temporary ileostomy. The hospital said she recovered well and has returned to a nearly normal lifestyle with her family.
Source: Fast Company ME
