Singaporean researchers have created a miniature robot that can remove early-stage stomach cancers without leaving any scars. Mounted on an endoscope, the robot enters the patient’s gut through the mouth. It has a pincer to hold tissue, a hook that slices cancerous tissue off and a tiny camera by which the surgeon can see what’s inside the gut and control the robot.

Lawrence Ho, who helped design the robot, said the robot helped remove early-stage stomach cancers in five patients in India and Hong Kong, using a fraction of the time normally taken in open and keyhole surgeries that put patients at higher risk of infection and leave behind scars. Stomach, or gastric, cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and is particularly common in East Asia.

[Source: www.ibtimes.com, Business & Health section]