Minimally invasive surgery takes advantage of advances in computer imaging and robotics to provide effective surgical cancer treatment with a much smaller impact on the patient. Robotic surgery systems consist of one or more robotic arms, precisely controlled by surgeons seated at a console, which enlarges 3-D views of the surgery site. MD Anderson uses the Da Vinci® robotic surgery system, which has four robotic arms like the one pictured right. Although the robotic arms are doing the actual surgery, they still require direct input from the surgeon and cannot be merely programmed to operate without human intervention. (Video produced for Messenger)
