'Robotic surgery helped me back to the job I love'

Charlotte Gregersen runs Moral Fibre Vintage in Market Square three days a week

A market stall holder has praised robot-assisted surgery for helping her get back to her customers sooner.

Charlotte Gregersen, 62, underwent thoracic surgery at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge to remove metastatic cancer in her right lung.

The minimally invasive operation removed a piece of her right lung but meant she could leave hospital the next day - and return to her designer and vintage clothing stall at Cambridge market within a month.

"The job I have is quite physical, so I had to make sure I recovered fully," she said. "I love working outside, I love my stall, and I've built up a good clientele that keep me busy."

Ms Gregersen's cancer journey began nine years ago and has involved numerous hospital visits for different treatments.

The operation was carried out by a surgical team at Royal Papworth, led by consultant thoracic surgeon Mr Aman Coonar, using the Versius surgical robot from Cambridge-based CMR Surgical

She was referred to Royal Papworth where her lung operation was carried out by a surgical team using the Versius surgical robot.

She said: "[Mr Aman Coonar] explained that the robotic-assisted surgery would be minimally-invasive and lead to a quicker recovery time.

"I had the operation through tiny incisions on the Monday and returned home on the Tuesday, which was very positive."

Versius allows surgeons to make tiny incisions to work precisely inside the chest cavity, which can be seen in a magnified 3D view.

Mr Coonar said the CMR robot meant patients "generally have little pain".

"The system is also portable meaning it can be moved between theatres, which means more teams can use it," he added.

"The system is improving all the time and our team is also getting slicker in its use.

"As the NHS England national lead for thoracic surgery, I can say that our thoracic surgery teams are committed to improving the care for cancer patients.

"We are also proud to be using British designed and British built technology."

A surgeon can sit at the Versius robot console to perform thoracic surgery whilst using 3D vision to give the feeling of being inside a chest

Royal Papworth became the first UK hospital to use Versius for thoracic surgery in 2023.

Since then, surgical teams have used it to perform more than 250 minimally invasive procedures.

Massimiliano Colella, chief executive of CMR Surgical said: "Versius was created to bring more patients the benefits of robotic assisted minimal access surgery, so we are delighted to see the tangible positive impact Versius has had for patients like Charlotte, including improved outcomes and quicker recovery times right here in Cambridge."