• Dr. Sujoy Kumar Bala completes 100 robotic-assisted procedures across complex cancer case (including GI, hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and gynecological cancers).
• The programme highlights how robotic-assisted surgery is being applied beyond routine procedures to more technically challenging surgeries traditionally performed via open approach.

Kolkata, India – 9th April 2026 – As advanced robotic-assisted surgery begins to take on more complex cancer cases in Eastern India, patients are increasingly able to access specialised treatment closer to home instead of travelling to other parts of the country.

This shift is reflected in the growing robotic surgical practice of Dr. Sujoy Kumar Bala, Surgical Oncologist at CK Birla Hospital, Kolkata, who has completed over 100 robotic-assisted procedures across a wide spectrum of oncological cases. Nearly 70% of these include complex gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, and pancreatic surgeries (including whipple procedures), along with procedures in gynecologic oncology, thyroid cancer, and other domains.

While robotic-assisted surgery is well established in several specialties, its application in complex gastrointestinal and oncologic surgery continues to evolve due to the high level of technical difficulty involved. In Eastern India, this progress carries particular significance, given the longstanding need for patients to travel outside the region for advanced cancer care.

Dr. Bala’s work focuses on extending the benefits of robotic surgery beyond routine procedures to highly complex cancer operations that were traditionally performed through open surgery. These include challenging cases in anatomically confined regions—such as low rectal cancers—where surgical precision is critical to achieving tumour-free margins while preserving organ function whenever feasible.

Dr. Sujoy Kumar Bala, Surgical Oncologist, CK Birla Hospital, Kolkata, highlighted, “The real opportunity with robotic surgery is not limited to one organ system or one procedure. It lies in expanding the boundaries of what can be managed through a minimally invasive approach across complex cancer care. In cases such as low rectal tumours, where the operating space is narrow and precision is critical, robotic technology can support better visualisation and control during surgery. For patients in Eastern India, this is also important from an access perspective, because it means more advanced surgical care can increasingly be delivered within the region itself.”

Among the areas where this has been particularly relevant is robotic surgery for low rectal cancer, where surgery in the deep pelvis has traditionally been technically demanding. According to Dr. Bala, robotic-assisted surgery, using the da Vinci surgical system, can support dissection in these narrow spaces, helping surgeons work with greater visual clarity and manoeuvrability while aiming for negative margins and sphincter preservation in selected patients.

Insights from the team’s internal audit also point to encouraging recovery patterns in selected robotic gastrointestinal and colorectal procedures. In an internal audit of 75 robotic colorectal surgical cases, the team observed a median post-operative hospital stay of 3.5 days in selected patients. In low rectal cancer surgeries involving a temporary diverting stoma, patients are often mobilised early and may be ready for discharge within three to four days, depending on clinical condition and recovery.

The team has also observed that in robotic abdominal procedures, throat discomfort related to intubation is often reported more frequently than abdominal pain in the immediate post-operative period, reflecting the limited abdominal wall trauma associated with minimally invasive surgery. In colon cancer procedures, Dr. Bala noted that specimen removal through a small lower abdominal incision has also contributed to improved post-operative comfort in many patients. These observations form part of the team’s ongoing clinical review.

Robotic-assisted surgery is also helping expand the range of patients who may be considered for minimally invasive treatment. In conventional laparoscopy, factors such as obesity, narrow pelvic anatomy, or limited instrument manoeuvrability can make certain cases more restrictive. Robotic systems, with three-dimensional visualisation, articulated instrumentation and improved surgeon ergonomics, may help overcome some of these constraints in selected patients and procedures.

Vipul Jain, CEO, CK Birla Hospitals, said, “The ability to build advanced cancer surgery capability within Eastern India is important not only for clinical progress, but also for patient access. For many families, travelling outside the region for specialised treatment can add financial, logistical and emotional strain at an already difficult time. Strengthening local capacity in complex robotic and oncological surgery is therefore about more than technology adoption; it is about enabling timely, high-quality care closer to where patients live.”

As institutions in Eastern India continue to build capability in advanced minimally invasive oncology, this evolution is expected to play an important role in strengthening regional access to complex cancer care and reducing the need for patients to seek treatment farther from home.