Nick Samiotis, a 54-year-old man from Norfolk, looked cancer squarely in the eye. To help him in his battle against the disease, he had a new, pioneering robotic-assisted oesophagectomy at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH). Samiotis said the surgery was a “life or death” matter. This surgery was done after a round of chemotherapy aimed at reducing his tumor.
Before the procedure, Samiotis had felt she had symptoms like heartburn and anaemia. After the operation, he was put in a difficult place—including dealing with a liquid diet and learning how to live with his new, smaller stomach. He is undergoing additional chemotherapy treatment now because of the advanced stage progression of his cancer.
Samiotis’s surgery was remarkable not just for its complexity, but for its pioneering use of robotics, which enabled a technically challenging procedure to be done minimally invasively. The minimally invasive procedure exited him with only 15 little keyhole scars. This greatly minimized the trauma to his body in comparison to conventional surgical techniques. As evidenced by Samiotis, “It’s so much less trauma to the body so your recovery time is much shorter.”
Surgeon Nicholas Penney, who did the procedure, highlighted the benefits of robotic surgery. He underlined that it allows for greater movement accuracy. As he described it, “The gestures that we perform are scaled down, and we can play the instruments in the same way as with our hands… Everything is very secure. He spoke of the positive impacts for their patients. The end result is them leaving the hospital quicker and returning to normal life much sooner, he said.
As a result, Samiotis’s hospital stay was dramatically reduced from three weeks to merely ten days due to this state-of-the-art technique. Incredibly, he was walking his dog again within nine days of the surgery. “I’m doing great!” he said, full of energy and enthusiasm. “Once I finish this, I’m going outside to walk my dog!”
Even though she lived a very healthy lifestyle, never smoked, drank or ate processed foods, Samiotis was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. He said thank you for the improvements in surgical techniques that have made his surgery possible. I vividly recall the interactions with that nurse. They expressed the truth that three years ago, this type of surgery wouldn’t have been performed. At the end of the day, you have to take the word on faith from the experts,” he said.
Even though there’s a lot of work to do on the road ahead, Samiotis is optimistic. “My family are tremendously gratified I have come through the operation and am on my feet, 10 days later,” he wrote. He inspired anyone who has to overcome great obstacles, adding, “I would tell my former self not to stress out.”