| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3944700 | Gynecologic Oncology | 2013 | 5 Pages |
•Compared to laparotomy, robotic surgery was feasible and effective.•Robotic operative times were reasonable, hospital stay and blood loss were reduced.•Debulking, one year survival, and recurrence rates were similar between groups.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of robotic-assisted management of epithelial ovarian cancer.MethodsRetrospective review of robotic-assisted or abdominal ovarian cancer cases presenting with pelvic mass, initial staging, or debulking after neoadjuvant chemotherapy performed by a single surgeon (2008–2012). Patient characteristics and outcomes were compared using chi-squared or Student's t-tests.ResultsThere were 63 robotic and 26 abdominal cases. Patient characteristics were similar for age, uterine weight, and BMI, with prior abdominal surgery more common in the abdominal group (p = 0.0257). Robotic operative time was longer (p < 0.0001), while blood loss (p < 0.0001) and hospital stay (p = 0.0009) were reduced. Major complication rates (16% vs. 23%, p = 0.4209) and lymphadenectomy yields (13 vs. 11 nodes, p = 0.2310) were similar. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was more common in the robotic group (52% vs. 15%, p = 0.0013). Residual disease rates for all cases (73% vs. 50%, p = 0.880) and for Stage II–IV cases (61% vs. 40%, p = 0.929) were equivalent. Follow-up was longer for the abdominal group; however, an equivalent percentage of patients had at least 1 year of follow-up (57% vs. 77%, p = 0.0789). At 1 year, survival and no evidence of disease (NED) rates were equivalent for all cases (survival: 97% vs. 90%, p = 0.2501; NED: 81% vs. 85%, p = 0.6773) and for Stage II–IV cases (survival: 96% vs. 88%, p = 0.3080; NED: 76% vs. 81%, p = 0.6920).ConclusionsA robotic approach for the management of epithelial ovarian cancer, including patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, is feasible and effective. Debulking, recurrence, and survival rates were similar to laparotomy at 1 year.
