‘Game changer’: robotic device allows more women to get gynecologic cancer treatment

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A new device at Providence Alaska Medical Center is aiding the hospital’s attempt to treat and cure more women of cancer.

March will mark a year since Providence (PAMC) started working with the Da Vinci 5, a robot allowing physicians to complete minimally invasive surgery.

The device is a game changer, according to gynecologic oncologist Dr. Melissa Hardesty, when it comes to allowing more women to be treated.

“A lot of times, when I was training, there were a lot of women who were not candidates for surgery because they were not felt to be healthy enough by their heart doctors or due to their diabetes or various other medical conditions,” Hardesty said. “We’re now at a point where not only is pretty much everybody a candidate for surgery, even patients that are on blood thinners, the amount of time that’s required to be off of blood thinners for these surgeries is very minimal.”

The Foundation for Women’s Cancer reports 34,020 deaths occurred from gynecologic cancer in 2023 in the U.S. That same year, around 114,810 new cases were diagnosed.

When it comes to Gynecologic cancers, Hardesty advises women to pay attention to their bodies and seek medical services if abnormal conditions occur. This includes, she said, irregular bleeding patterns and a lack of a menstrual cycle pre-menopause transition.

If a patient is diagnosed with cancer, it’s devices like the Da Vinci 5 that allow for physicians like Hardesty to perform complicated surgeries on patients with gynecologic cancers. Through the robotic device, they are able to use magnified cameras and have a 3D view of the surgical field, allowing doctors to get close and complete complicated surgeries with a fast recovery time.

“So we went from a situation where patients were having big open surgeries and staying in the hospital for prolonged periods of time to outpatient surgery,” Hardesty said. “It’s kind of amazing how much better we are doing these surgeries, and it’s tools like this that have helped us achieve that goal.”

The device works by having small incisions placed on the stomach of the patient, where 8 millimeter metal tubes are placed through with instruments - including a camera.

While the patient is on the operating table, the doctor controls the robotic device from a console, during which — using finger controls — the physician is able to control the robotic device, allowing them to remove tumors, organs and even stitch.

“Once we get all those instruments in, then I have an assistant at the bedside who stays up here, who is able to clean the camera or change the instruments or suction for me if I need,” Hardesty said. “So it’s really expanded what we’ve been able to offer people in their own communities.”

According to the American Association for Cancer Research, February is National Cancer Prevention Month. The organization reports that in 2025 alone, two million Americans were diagnosed with cancer and over 618,000 died.

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