Short-term outcomes of robotic-assisted versus conventional laparoscopic-assisted surgery for rectal cancer: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Abstract	It remains controversial whether the advantages of robotic-assisted surgery are beneficial for rectal cancer (RC). The study aimed to evaluate the short-term outcomes of robotic-assisted rectal surgery (RARS) compared with those of conventional laparoscopic-assisted rectal surgery. We retrospectively analyzed 539 consecutive patients with stage I-IV RC who had undergone elective surgery between January 2010 and December 2020, using propensity score-matched analysis. After propensity score matching, we enrolled 200 patients (n = 100 in each groups). Before matching, significant group-dependent differences were observed in terms of age (p = 0.04) and body mass index (p < 0.01). After matching, clinicopathologic outcomes were similar between the groups, but estimated operative time was longer and postoperative lymphorrhea was more frequent in the RARS group. Estimated blood loss, rate of conversion to laparotomy, and incidence of anastomotic leakage or reoperation were significantly lower in the RARS group. No surgical mortality was observed in either group. No significant differences were observed in terms of positive resection margins or number of lymph nodes harvested. RARS was safe and technically feasible, and achieved acceptable short-term outcomes. The robotic technique showed some advantages in RC surgery that require validation in further studies.
Authors	Toshinori Sueda, Mitsuyoshi Tei, Kentaro Nishida, Yukihiro Yoshikawa, Tae Matsumura, Chikato Koga, Masaki Wakasugi, Hiromichi Miyagaki, Ryohei Kawabata, Masanori Tsujie, Junichi Hasegawa
Journal	Journal of robotic surgery (J Robot Surg) Vol. 16 Issue 2 Pg. 323-331 (Apr 2022) ISSN: 1863-2491 [Electronic] England
PMID	33886065 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
Copyright	© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.
Topics	Humans Laparoscopy (methods) Postoperative Complications (epidemiology, surgery) Propensity Score Rectal Neoplasms (pathology, surgery) Retrospective Studies Robotic Surgical Procedures (methods) Treatment Outcome

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.

Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!