Palm Beach Gardens Lving - February 2026

4 PA L M B E A C H G A R D E N S L I V I N G | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 Laparoscopy involves manipulating tiny surgical instruments through small incisions on the patient’s abdomen to the exact spot where surgery is performed, whether doctors are removing a defective ovary or an entire uterus. “The DaVinci platform allows for the surgeon’s right eye and left eye to have actual depth perception and greater dexterity than laparoscopic surgery,” he notes, “and it increases the types of complex surgeries we can do robotically because it improves our vision.” Robotic-surgery instruments alsomimic themore fluidmovements of human hands and wrists, compared with laparoscopic instruments that tend to be more rigid, he explains. “Cancer-based surgeries that used to be done only through open surgery can now be done robotically,” notes Dr. Worley. “And it’s important to point out that the robot doesn’t do anything autonomously. It’s not a robot doing surgery. The instruments are really an extension of what we do as surgeons. It’s like a car —the driver has to turn it on, steer it, speed it up, clutch it, and stop it to get from Point A to Point B. The robotic capabilities allow us to be more delicate with tissues, so there’s less trauma, less disruption, shorter downtime, and less pain.” Robotic instruments also allow surgeons to access hard-to-reach tumors and cancers, including those that are recurring or have invaded nearby tissue. The benefit for patients: less blood loss during surgery and quicker recoveries/healing for gynecologic cancers and lung cancer. T he same robotic technologies that allow cardiac specialists to perform delicate surgeries inside the human heart and send hip replacement patients home the same day with new artificial joints are offering similarly profound benefits for women experiencing gynecological cancers. Whether they are diagnosed with cervical or ovarian cancer, or facing a hysterectomy because of uterine/endometrial cancer, women can experience less invasive surgeries with less blood loss and quicker recoveries thanks to the presence of robotic surgical systems in the operating suite, says Dr. Michael Worley Jr., a women’s cancer specialist at Jupiter Medical Center’s Anderson Family Cancer Institute. Some women, in fact, are sent home the same day after a hysterectomy, thanks to the precision and minimally invasive nature of robotic surgery. “Since the beginning of robotics as the platform on which minimally invasive surgeries have evolved, the optics and dexterity for surgeons have improved, resulting in better patient outcomes,” says Worley. “Robotic surgery has allowed us to do significantly more complex procedures, but through smaller incisions. These new surgical systems provide binocular vision, which allows for depth perception and an improved view of the surgical field, compared to traditional laparoscopic surgery.” Jupiter Medical Center’s cancer specialists and surgeons deploy the DaVinci 5 robotic surgery platform at The Johnny & Terry Grey Surgical Institute, which opened in late 2023. TECHNOLOGYBEYOND LAPAROSCOPY Robotic surgery’s benefit is that it provides better visual acuity and manual dexterity for surgeons as they operate, explains Dr. Worley. EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR – By Sue MacDonald – Robotic SurgeryTargets Common Gynecological Cancers AmongWomen For information about robotic surgery for gynecologic and other cancers at Jupiter Medical Center, call 561-263-4400.