Robot-assisted laparoscopic staging surgery for endometrial cancer--a preliminary report

The robotic surgical system is reported to overcome some technical difficulties in traditional laparoscopic hysterectomy. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and surgical outcomes of a robotic surgery program for endometrial cancer.

Patients with endometrial cancer with the intention to receive treatment using robot-assisted laparoscopic staging surgery were recruited in a university hospital from July 2007 to August 2008. All of these surgeries were performed with the da Vinci system.

Six patients (mean age, 47.5 ±1.4 years; mean body mass index, 26.2 ±3.5 kg/m(2)) were enrolled and completed robot-assisted laparoscopic staging surgery. The robot docking time was 45.0 ±13.6 minutes and the robot-assisted operation time was 200.3 ±30.0 minutes. The mean estimated blood loss was 180.0 ±147.6 mL. The mean number of lymph nodes retrieved was 23.2 ±7.4. No laparoconversion and no intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred. All patients were alive and free of disease up to the date of this report, at a median follow-up of 6.5 months (range, 5-17 months).

Robot-assisted laparoscopic staging surgery is a feasible treatment and helps overcome the technical limitations in conventional laparoscopy for endometrial cancer.