POINT 3:

Next, robotic surgery can reduce hospital-related cost for head and neck

cancer treatment (Richamon, Quon and Gourin, 2014). Richamon, Quon and Gourin

(2014) says that the cost of hospitalization is significantly decreased with the use of

Trans-Oral Robotic Surgery or TORS. This is because the hospital can cut the cost for

training less hospital staff due to some job can be done by robot surgeon and the cost

purchasing and maintaining the robotic surgeon much lower than some machine such

as radiotherapy machine that require more money to buy and maintaining it at which the

robotic surgery also can doing what radiotherapy machine done in treatment of cancer.

Not only that, the length of hospitalization for TORS is shorter than other surgeries

(Richamon, Quon and Gourin, 2014). They further state that TORS have less risk of

infection, less scarring and less blood loss because the surgeon makes tiny incisions

rather than large ones, lowering the risk of infection or blood loss and this can lead to

shorter recovery time and early hospital discharge. Other than that, Richamon, Quon

and Gourin (2014) mentioning that compare to other endoscopic, laser, or harmonic

technologies TORS has lower additional cost per case with disposable equipment. That

mean every surgery using TORS is more cost effective due to cost for disposal of the

equipment is lower compare to some equipment such as equipment for radiation

machine that need to be dispose in special container or storage which is requiring high

cost to buy and maintaining it. Therefore, additional cost of surgery using TORS is much

lower compare to other surgery. Furthermore, the surgical treatment of oropharyngeal

cancer with TORS is the least expensive option compare to chemo- radiation treatment

(Moore et al., 2012 cited in Richamon, Quon and Gourin, 2014). This is because
chemo-radiation takes weeks or months plus a few sessions for it treatment while TORS

only take one surgery session for it treatment.

POINT 4:

Besides that, TORS is more effective surgery for oropharynx cancer

(Richamon, Quon and Gourin, 2014). Richamon, Quon and Gourin (2014) say that

Patient who undergo TORS never show any acute medical complication compared to

the non-TORS group. They state that because of the time for surgery for TORS is not

very long about 90 minutes compare to some surgery that can take time more than 4

hours’ the medical complication problem is unlikely to occur. Furthermore, Incidence of

perioperative gastrostomy and tracheostomy tube placement is lower in TORS

compared to other surgical techniques (Richamon, Quon and Gourin, 2014). This is

due to the robotic movement is more precise compare to surgery done by human hand

which is sometime affected by difficult to reach some place inside the body. According

to Richamon, Quon and Gourin (2014) for oropharyngeal cancer treatment TORS

appears to be a safer and more generalizable surgical technique. As example, TORS

can mass produced and can be used by every hospital. Apart from that, TORS invasive

approach to remove tumors of the oropharynx is minimal and efficiently use of radiation

and chemotherapy, also has lower dose of radiation (Richamon, Quon and Gourin,

2014). As example robotic hand of TORS does not require access to some place in the

body as it can reach it unlike human hand which is requiring to cut open unnecessary

part of body as it cannot reach some difficult of the part and also radiation dose and
area can be controlled more effectively using TORS unlike the normal chemo-radiation

that does not have robotic hand to reach some body part to destroy specific cell.