Yale’s multidisciplinary surgical oncology team has achieved two milestones in robotic hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery, surpassing 150 major procedures and performing the first robotic hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) pump placement in Connecticut.
The procedures were completed at Smilow Cancer Hospital, where surgeons have expanded the use of robotic techniques to treat diseases of the pancreas, gallbladder, colon, rectum, bile ducts, and liver, including major right and left hepatic resections. Robotic HPB surgery is a minimally invasive approach that uses advanced platforms to enhance surgical precision and may enable faster recovery compared with traditional open operations.
Growth of the robotic program has relied on extensive coordination among surgeons, medical oncologists, interventional radiologists and other specialists across the Smilow Cancer Hospital Network and Yale School of Medicine (YSM), reflecting the health system’s integrated model of care.
“It takes a village — faculty, residents, APPs, staff and researchers—to make a program like this successful. It is a privilege to be part of an effort that can change the lives of so many cancer patients and their families,” says Kevin Billingsley, MD, MBA, chief medical officer at Yale Cancer Center.
Since joining the YSM Department of Surgery in 2020 and assuming his leadership role, Billingsley has directed the expansion of robotic HPB services across the network. Advanced practice providers have played a critical role in the program’s development, he says, noting Andera Ferraro, PA, and Emily Huben, PA.
The extension of the program to include robotic HAI pump placement — a technique for delivering high-dose chemotherapy directly to liver tumors — was led by Sajid Khan, MD, and Jeremy Kortmansky, MD, and offers new options for patients with advanced liver metastases from colorectal cancer and for those with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
The first robotic HAI pump placement marks a significant advance for Yale patients. Compared with traditional open methods, robotic HAI pump placement can be associated with shorter hospital stays — often about one day — faster recovery, and lower rates of conversion to open surgery.
The milestones underscore Yale’s continued investment in multidisciplinary cancer care and innovation in complex surgical treatment.