[Robotic gastrectomy: Research progress and practical challenges]

Gastric cancer is one of the malignant tumors with high incidence and mortality rates globally, with China ranking among the top 5 in both case numbers and deaths. With the popularization of laparoscopic technology and surgical robotic systems, gastric cancer surgery has entered the era of minimally invasive procedures. Robotic gastrectomy (RG) demonstrates unique value in complex lymph node dissection and digestive tract reconstruction, outperforming laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) in terms of intraoperative blood loss, recovery speed, and certain complications. However, the longer operation time and higher costs remain disadvantages of RG. Currently, both domestic and international guidelines include RG in the treatment indications for early and some locally advanced gastric cancer, emphasizing that it should be performed in experienced medical centers. Meanwhile, new technologies such as indocyanine green (ICG) near-infrared imaging-guided lymph node dissection, reduced-port/single-port surgery, 5G remote surgery and integration with artificial intelligence are continuously emerging, driving RG towards precision and intelligence. This article systematically reviews clinical research and guideline consensus from both domestic and international sources, focusing on evaluating the technical characteristics, learning curve, short-term/long-term efficacy and expansion of indications for RG. It analyzes its main limitations and provides a prospective discussion on future development directions.