Robotic surgical staging for endometrial and cervical cancers in medically ill patients

- The need for cancer treatment among medically ill patients with high anesthesiological risk is expected to increase dramatically.
- Consecutive cervical and endometrial cancer patients were submitted to comprehensive robotic surgical staging, regardless of their age, BMI and co-morbidities.
- Perioperative outcomes and surgical procedures performed were comparable between patients with low (ASA 1-2) and high (ASA ≥ 3) anesthesiological risk.

ObjectivesPatients with high anesthesiological risk due to old age, obesity and severe co-morbidities alone or in combination are considered as poor candidates for extensive surgical staging procedures, especially if through minimally invasive approach. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of robotic surgical staging of endometrial and cervical cancers in the medically ill patient.MethodsBetween 07-2007 and 12-2012, consecutive patients scheduled for staging for endometrial or cervical cancer were directed towards robotic staging and divided into two groups according to their starting score in the American Society for Anaesthesiologists (ASA): Group 1 (ASA 1-2) and Group 2 (ASA ≥ 3).ResultsOverall, 169 (71.9%) patients had ASA 1-2 whereas 66 (28.1%) had ASA ≥ 3. ASA ≥ 3 were older (p < 0.0001) with a greater proportion of co-morbidities (p < 0.0001), as well as of Class II (4.7% vs 19.7%; p = 0.0007) and Class III obesity (2.4% vs 31.8%; p < 0.0001). No differences were found between groups in terms of operative time, blood loss, intra- and post-operative complications, conversion rate and hospitalization. No differences were recorded either in terms of staging procedures performed or in terms of number of pelvic (p = 0.72) and para-aortic (p = 0.86) lymph nodes retrieved.ConclusionsDespite theoretical concerns about the performance of robotic surgery in patients with high anesthesiological risk, our experience showed that robotics is a feasible, safe and viable option for the management of endometrial and cervical cancers also in this more vulnerable group of patients.