Robotic-Assisted Surgery for Primary or Recurrent Oropharyngeal Carcinoma

Objective To determine the feasibility of robotic-assisted salvage surgery for oropharyngeal cancer. Design Retrospective case-controlled study. Setting Academic, tertiary referral center. Patients Patients who underwent surgical resection for T1 and T2 oropharyngeal cancer between 2001 and 2008 were classified into the following 3 groups based on type of resection: (1) robotic-assisted surgery for primary neoplasms (robotic primary) (n = 15), (2) robotic-assisted salvage surgery for recurrent disease (robotic salvage) (n = 7), and (3) open salvage resection for recurrent disease (n = 14). Main Outcome Measures Data regarding tumor subsite, stage, and prior treatment were evaluated as well as margin status, nodal disease, length of hospital stay, diet, and tracheotomy tube dependence. Results The median length of stay in the open salvage group was longer (8.2 days) than robotic salvage (5.0 days) ( P  = .14) and robotic primary (1.5 days) resection groups ( P P  = .06). A greater proportion of patients who underwent open salvage procedures also remained tracheotomy tube dependent after 6 months (7%) compared with robotic salvage or robotic primary patients (0%) ( P  = .48). No complications were reported in the robotic salvage group. Two patients who underwent open salvage resection developed postoperative hematomas and 2 developed wound infections. Conclusion When feasible, robotic-assisted surgery is an acceptable procedure for resection of both primary and recurrent oropharyngeal tumors. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT00473564