Robotic-assisted esophagectomy: A literature review and our experience at a tertiary care centre

Abstract

Esophageal cancer is a common cancer with a high case-related mortality worldwide, and radical resection offers the best survival. Initial reports have suggested that esophagus is an ideal organ which could benefit with robotic assistance. However, it remains to be seen whether robotic technology translates into better surgical outcomes and survival for the patients with esophageal cancer. We searched PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar for English language articles. The search terms included minimally invasive esophagectomy or MIE, robotic-assisted esophagectomy, hybrid esophagectomy, robot-assisted minimal invasive esophagectomy or RAMIE, esophageal cancer, esophageal carcinoma. We review the development of robotic-assisted esophagectomy to focus on the surgical techniques and oncological clearance, and present a brief summary of our experience in this approach. Controlled trials will be required to establish the benefit of robotic-assisted esophagectomy, however the current literature points towards the safety and feasibility of this approach.

Keywords

• Robotic-assisted esophagectomy
• Minimal invasive esophagectomy
• Esophageal cancer