Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital Urology Department Reaches 7,000 Robotic Surgeries Milestone

Catholic University Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital announced on January 6 that its Department of Urology has held a ceremony to commemorate reaching 7,000 robotic urologic surgeries.헬스조선

Since achieving 5,000 robotic surgeries in 2024, the number of procedures has rapidly increased. As of October of last year, the department surpassed 7,000 cases and has currently performed a total of 7,270 robotic surgeries.medicine.catholic.ac.kr

At the time the 7,000-case milestone was reached, the breakdown by disease was as follows: prostate conditions accounted for 3,488 cases (of which 3,278 were prostate cancer), making up about 50% of the total. This was followed by kidney cancer with 2,270 cases (32%), bladder conditions with 460 cases (7%), renal pelvis and ureter conditions with 459 cases (6%), and other conditions with 323 cases (5%). Approximately 80% of all surgeries were focused on high-complexity cancers such as prostate and kidney cancer.

The hospital attributes this rapid growth to the persistent research and innovation of its medical team, led by Professor Ji-Yeol Lee, current hospital director and a pioneer in urologic robotic surgery. Professor Lee has played a key role in introducing and establishing robotic systems, enabling precise surgical approaches and tailored treatments.

Professor Sung-Hoo Hong, director of the Robotic Surgery Center, logged 2,500 robotic procedures, including a record of 500 single-port urologic robotic surgeries—the first in the Asia-Pacific region. He is widely recognized as an authority in partial nephrectomy techniques for kidney cancer.

In prostate cancer surgery, robotic techniques offer significant advantages due to the prostate’s deep location in the pelvis and the density of nerves related to urinary and sexual function. The precision and minimal invasiveness of robotic systems allow for nerve and muscle preservation with smaller incisions.

Robotic surgery for bladder cancer is also expanding. It not only helps preserve the bladder when possible, but when cancer necessitates complete removal, the procedure can assist in creating a neobladder—using a portion of the small intestine to form a new bladder. Compared with traditional open surgery, this approach reduces bleeding and pain, shortens recovery time, and enables patients to urinate normally without an external bag.

Professor Hong stated that “for urologic cancers such as prostate and kidney cancer, precise surgery affects not only survival but also quality of life after surgery. The figure of 7,000 cases represents not just a numerical record, but the result of the trust placed in us by patients and the dedicated efforts of our team.”

Professor Ha Yoo-shin, head of the Urology Department, added that the department prioritizes holistic evaluation of each patient to choose the most appropriate treatment, and will continue providing care that considers quality of life after surgery.

Source

Health Chosun.
“Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital Urology Department Achieves 7,000 Robotic Surgeries.”
Published January 6, 2026.
Available at: https://health.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2026/01/06/2026010601345.html