Robot-assisted Surgery for Esophageal Cancer: Analysis of Short- and Long-term Outcomes [Internet]

Worldwide adoption of robot-assisted surgery continues to increase and has been applied to esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Since 2009, there has been a more than 9-fold increase in robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) operations performed. Despite the rapid adoption of RAMIE, several questions about its utility compared to open esophagectomy and other video-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (VAMIE) approaches remain, especially with regard to long-term oncologic outcomes. Another important consideration is the economics of the robotic platform, which requires an upfront investment and costs for annual maintenance, instruments, staff and training, and infrastructure upgrade. We conducted a systematic review to help clinicians, patients, and policymakers weigh these approaches in patients undergoing esophagectomy for cancer.