Comparison of single-port laparoscopy, standard laparoscopy, and robotic surgery in patients with endometrial cancer

The aim of this study was to evaluate single-port laparoscopy (SPL) for the surgical treatment of presumed early-stage endometrial cancer and to compare surgical outcomes to laparoscopy and robotics.

A multi-institutional, matched retrospective cohort study was performed. All patients with clinical stage I or occult stage II endometrial cancer who underwent SPL hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy +/- lymphadenectomy from April 2009 to September 2010 were identified. Outcomes were compared with patients matched by age, body mass index (BMI), tumor histology, and grade, who underwent laparoscopy or robotic surgery. Data was analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis 1-way analysis of variance and chi-square test for frequency data. A P value of <.05 was considered significant.

A total of 90 matched patients (30 SPL, 30 LSC, and 30 robotic) were included in the study. There were no significant differences in median operating time or estimated blood loss between the 3 groups. The median number of pelvic lymph nodes obtained was significantly higher in the robotic (17.0 [8-36] and SPL group (16.0 [11-21]) compared with the laparoscopy group (13.0 [3-18]) P = .04. However, there was no significant difference in the median number of para-aortic nodes obtained between the 3 groups. There was no significant difference between the groups in length of hospital stay, comorbid conditions, complication rates, or operative times.

Our findings suggest SPL surgery for endometrial carcinoma is feasible with similar operating times, hospital length of stay, complication rates, and estimated blood loss when compared with laparoscopy and robotics.