Applications and prospects of robotic surgery in esophageal cancer

关键词: Esophageal cancer; Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE); Robotic-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE), Robotic surgery

ZHANG Jiahao, ZHANG Yajie, LI Hecheng   

  • 1 No. 1 Apr. 2020
  • DIO: 10.12180/j.issn.2096-7721.2020.01.007 发布日期:2020-08-27 阅读数:1084
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  • 作者简介:

Esophageal cancer (EC) is among the most common malignances and one of the leading causes of cancerrelated death worldwide. Surgery plays a significant role in the multidisciplinary treatment for esophageal cancer. Recent advances in minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE), including conventional thoracoscopic surgery and more recent robotic surgery, has been shown to improve short-term outcomes compared to open surgery. Robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) was first performed in 2003 and has been increasingly utilized in tertiary medical centers. Compared to conventional video-assisted minimally esophagectomy (VAMIE), RAMIE provides certain advantages such as increased magnification, three-dimensional visual clarity and better lymphadenectomy, with superior short-term outcome and at least equivalent oncological results. This review focuses on the techniques, benefits and obstacles in applications of robotic esophagectomy for treating EC, meanwhile discussing the future of robotic esophageal surgery.