[Robot-assisted laparoscopy in the management of recurrent pelvic cancer]

The aim of this study is to establish the feasibility of the management of recurrent pelvic cancers by robot-assisted laparoscopy, and particularly the feasibility of robot-assisted laparoscopy anterior pelvic exenteration, from a single center series of seven patients.

From February 2007 to April 2010, all patients cared for recurrent pelvic cancer have been included (n=7). Five patients have been cared for a cervical cancer recurrence, one patient for recurrent VAIN 3, and one patient for squamous cell carcinoma of the vaginal vault after hysterectomy for cervical carcinoma in situ. All patients were benefited from robot-assisted laparoscopy: two had surgery such as anterior pelvic exenteration with Miami Pouch urinary reconstruction, and five had colpectomy with or without lymph node removal, including one with vaginal preparation first before vaginal cuff resection. Data were collected prospectively identifying treatment history, intraoperative data, immediate outcomes, pathological findings, and long-term outcomes.

From February 2007 to April 2010, 195 patients underwent robot-assisted laparoscopy at the Institut Paoli-Calmettes. Among them, seven patients had pelvic cancer recurrence. The median age was 53 years (44 to 67). The median BMI was 25 (19.7 to 35.3). The median Karnofsky index was 100 (80-100). The median operative time was 210 min (90 to 300) for colpectomy, 480 min for pelvectomy, 240 min (90-480) for the serie. The mean duration of the installation of the robot, all procedures combined, is estimated at 22.5 min (±4.8 min). There was no conversion to laparotomy, the median blood loss was 340 ml (100 to 800). One patient was transfused with two red blood cells. There was a surgical complication (wound of the inferior mesenteric artery). There were no early postoperative complications and the median hospital stay was 6 days (3-24). There was a late postoperative complication: a patient who underwent anterior pelvic exenteration had impaired wound healing, with scarring requiring led by the VAC system. On pathological findings, the average number of nodes removed in the pelvic was 8.5 (±2) on the left, and 4 (±1.4) on the right. Three patients had involved margins; it was an anterior pelvic exenteration and two colpectomy. There was no hospital mortality, neither post-operative mortality at D30 and D90. After a median follow up of 22 months (9-34), the recurrence rate was 71% (5 patients out of 7), and one patient died 10 months after the intervention of a pulmonary embolism.

The surgical management of recurrent cervical cancer by laparoscopy-assisted robot is feasible for selected indications, and could be proposed as an alternative to laparotomy. Monitoring data in this series raise the question of the validity of conservative treatment in cases of recurrent pelvic cancer. The possibilities in terms of urinary and vaginal reconstruction remain to be defined. The impact of this surgical approach on oncological data must be confirmed.