Role of surgical margins in transoral robotic surgery: a question yet to be answered

We read with great interest the recent article published by Warner et al. about the influence of surgical margins in patients who underwent transoral robotic surgery (TORS). We particularly appreciate the authors’ effort to address such a relevant topic which unfortunately lacks solid literature. The result of their meritorious work speaks to the existence of a cut-off in the distance of a free resection margin able to define a higher risk of local recurrence. Intrigued by their report, we were eager to share our thoughts on the topic. According to current literature data, there is no doubt that a positive margin has a dramatic role on the oncologic outcome. On the other hand, the definition of a close margin is far from being reached, and its prognostic role is still unknown. In particular, guidelines push us to identify a threshold in a free resection margin that could place the patient at a higher risk of recurrence in order to better tailor the adjuvant treatment.