Breast cancer treatment is changing fast, and technology is playing a big role in making surgeries safer and more precise. In a major milestone for cancer care in North India, surgical oncologist Dr. Mandeep has successfully completed 50 robotic nipple-sparing breast surgeries, becoming the first surgeon in the region to achieve this feat.

The achievement marks an important step forward in the use of robotic technology in cancer treatment, especially in breast surgery where both medical outcomes and a patient’s quality of life matter deeply.

According to Dr. Mandeep, modern cancer care is moving toward what doctors call precision medicine—a treatment approach that focuses on targeting cancer more accurately rather than treating the body broadly.

“We are now entering the era of precision medicine,” he said. “Earlier we used to treat cancer in a more general way, but today we understand the specific genetic pathways responsible for it. The same idea of precision has now come into the operation theatre as well.”

Robotic-assisted breast surgery allows doctors to perform complex procedures through very small and carefully placed cuts, usually hidden in the natural crease under the breast or around the areola. Using advanced robotic arms and special imaging technology such as Firefly, surgeons can clearly identify the cancer-affected tissue and remove it with great accuracy.

“The aim is simple,” Dr. Mandeep explained. “We should not remove more tissue than necessary, and we should not remove less either. With robotic surgery, we can achieve very precise and complete removal of the tumor.”

One of the biggest advantages of this technique is that, in selected patients, it allows doctors to preserve the nipple and the breast skin. This has a major impact on how patients feel after surgery.

“The sensation of the breast mainly lies in the nipple and the skin,” Dr. Mandeep said. “If these are removed, reconstruction can restore the shape but the natural feeling is lost. When we preserve them safely without affecting cancer treatment, the patient can have a more natural and sensate breast.”

However, this advanced surgery is not suitable for everyone. It works best for patients with early-stage breast cancer or those who have responded well to treatment given before surgery, known as neoadjuvant therapy. In most cases, the tumor should be five centimetres or smaller and should not involve the skin or nipple. For more advanced cases, doctors still rely on traditional open surgery, which remains the standard and safest option.

Looking back at the journey that led to this milestone, Dr. Mandeep said building the robotic breast surgery program took nearly two years of careful work and constant improvement.

“This is a very special milestone for our team,” he said. “Over time we have refined our technique and improved our results. The encouraging part is that none of our patients have had major complications, and the recurrence rates have been minimal.”

Dr. Mandeep now hopes to take this work a step further by expanding the program and training more surgeons in robotic breast surgery. His goal is to ensure that this technology reaches more hospitals and benefits a larger number of patients.

“We want to develop this at a bigger scale,” he said. “If more surgeons learn these techniques, more patients across the country will be able to benefit from this advanced treatment.”

As robotic technology continues to reshape cancer care, achievements like this signal a promising future—where treatment is not only effective but also more precise, less invasive, and kinder to patients