Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy with preceptor's assistance: the training experience and outcomes in South...

Prostate cancer is currently the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Brazilian men. In 2020, sixty-five thousand new prostate cancer cases were expected in Brazil, and almost 30% of these patients are estimated to be from the northeast region. However, from 75 robotic platforms available in the country, only one is accessible in the state of Ceará since 2015. This study reports the intraoperative, functional, and oncological outcomes of patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer performed by robotic surgeons during a training period supervised by a proctor. We also compared these results with the literature reporting the experience of different Brazilian centers. We retrospectively analyzed prospectively collected data of 58 initial cases of robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy at a private Brazilian hospital in Fortaleza, Ceará. The surgeries were performed by two robotic surgeons during the training period under proctor supervision. We reported the epidemiological and intraoperative data, complications, pathological report, functional and oncological outcomes. The median operative time was 180 min. None of the patients needed conversion or blood transfusion. The pathology report described 21.81% of positive surgical margins (16.27% of all pT2 and 45.45% of all pT3 patients). The median follow-up was 40 months. Biochemical recurrence occurred in 21.73%, continence in 92%, and potency in 79.54%. No major complications (Clavien grades III-V) were reported. In our experience, robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy performed by surgeons training with proctor's assistance is feasible and safe. The operative time, complication rates, functional and oncological outcomes were satisfactory and compatible with the literature.