Robotic-assisted surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer beyond total mesorectal excision planes: the Mayo Clinic...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surgical and oncological outcomes of robotic-assisted beyond-TME surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer.

Consecutive adult (≥ 18 years old) patients who underwent a robotic-assisted proctectomy beyond-TME planes for primary or recurrent rectal cancer at three Mayo Clinic (USA) hospitals from 2017-2023 were included. Patient demographics and tumor and disease characteristics were obtained by review of the electronic health record. Outcomes of interest included postoperative complications, hospital length of stay, and pathologic and oncologic outcomes.

In total, 72 patients were included in the final cohort. Thirty-five (48.6%) patients underwent an extended resection without exenteration, while 22 (30.6%) underwent a multi-visceral en bloc exenteration; 20 (36.1%) patients underwent a lateral pelvic lymph node dissection, with or without a concomitant extended resection. Most cases had an advanced T-stage and an involved mesorectal fascia on pre-treatment MRI. The median operative time was 425.0 min (340.5-504.0) and the median estimated blood loss was 150.0 mL (75.0-277.5). Conversion to open surgery was needed in two (2.8%) cases. Nearly half the cohort (48.3%) experienced a postoperative complication and the median postoperative length of stay was 3.5 (3.0-7.0) days. Five cases had a positive margin, resulting in an R0 rate of 93.1%. None of the exenteration cases had a positive margin. After a median follow-up of 22.0 (13.0-45.7) months, 10 patients experienced a local recurrence (13.8%).

Robotic-assisted beyond-TME surgery can be performed safely with favorable postoperative clinical and oncologic outcomes.