A medical team operates on a patient's tumor under the direction of a surgeon 20 kilometers away from the hospital in East China's Jiangsu Province, with the help of 5G and Mixed Reality (MR) technology.(Photo: Global Times)

A 72-year-old Chinese woman who successfully underwent breast cancer surgery conducted remotely by doctors using 5G technology was discharged from hospital in East China's Jiangsu Province on Wednesday. 

Reports say this is the first case of remote breast cancer surgery using 5G and Mixed Reality (MR) technology in China.

The surgeon, Tang Jinhai, from Jiangsu Province Hospital made the design of incisions on a virtual reality projection board, while a medical team 20 kilometers away operated and cut the patient's tumor, according to a statement released by the hospital, which said the surgery lasted two hours. 

Every detail was clearly and synchronously presented on the screen. Doctors could also communicate in real time.

The technology enables patients who live in areas with insufficient medical care to enjoy good medical resources. The application of 5G will further promote remote medical services.

The transmission speed of 5G network is 10 to 20 times faster than 4G, and there is only a few milliseconds of delay, while the delay for 4G is tens of milliseconds.

The Jiangsu Province Hospital also did a remote lung surgery on a patient in May using 5G and Mixed Reality (MR) technology.