Robotic surgery (da Vinci Xi system) in head and neck cancer - own experience

Patients before 50 years of age with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer are characterized by significantly better survival than HPV-negative patients. The consequences of oncological treatment directly affect physiological function of the organs of the upper respiratory tract and, in consequence, the quality of life of these individuals. Therefore, the choice of therapy is of great importance. Minimally invasive surgery offers radical oncological treatment, while preserving the quality of life. The principal surgical methods are transoral access using TLM, electrosurgery and TORS. Radiochemotherapy as primary treatment is equally effective in the first and second stages of clinical advancement of cancer. However, occurrence of late complications such as swallowing, breathing, taste and smell disorders led to a recent re-emergence of minimally invasive surgery, particularly transoral robotic surgery, which has been widely used in head and neck surgery in the United States of America, Asia and Western European countries for more than 20 years. After many years, Poland joined the community of countries where the head and neck interventions are performed using the da Vinci Surgical System.

The purpose of the work is to present our own experience with the TORS at the Department of the Head and Neck Surgery and Laryngological Oncology of the Poznan University of Medical Sciences and to analyze the latest literature reports on the use of TORS in the treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.