Robotic surgery for gastric cancer: a review of the literature

Minimally invasive surgery is increasing attention worldwide as an effective treatment approach in gastric cancer. In this context, several studies suggest that robotic technology may add some advantages over traditional laparoscopy, but the role of the robotic approach in the common surgical setting is still uncertain. The objective of this study is to review the current evidences in the literature comparing robotic surgery to other surgical approaches.Patients underwent robotic gastrectomy showed some benefits in terms of blood loss, postoperative morbidity, and length of hospital stay. No significant differences have been found in terms of survivals, while the number of lymph nodes retrieved with the robotic approach, expecially in the extraperigastric region, is generally higher than that of laparoscopy.The current studies in the literature suggest that the robotic gastrectomy is not inferior to the laparoscopic procedure and provides some surgical and clinical benefits.Keywords:gastric cancer; robotic gastrectomy; minimally invasive surgery.