Robotic Right Hemicolectomy Provides Equivalent Oncologic Outcomes and Improved Perioperative Recovery Compared with...

Area of Science:

• Colorectal Surgery
• Surgical Oncology
• Minimally Invasive Surgery

Background:

• Open right hemicolectomy (ORH) is standard for locally advanced right-sided colon cancer.
• Evidence on minimally invasive techniques for advanced tumors is limited.
• Robotic right hemicolectomy (RRH) is an emerging alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare perioperative and oncologic outcomes of ORH versus RRH.
• Evaluate long-term survival and histopathological quality.
• Assess outcomes in T4 tumors.

Main Methods:

• Single-center study of 198 patients (2010-2020).
• Prospective database analysis of ORH (n=77) and RRH (n=121).
• Primary endpoint: overall survival (OS); Secondary endpoints: disease-free survival (DFS), perioperative outcomes, lymph node yield, R0 resection rates.

Main Results:

• Comparable R0 resection rates (96% vs. 97.5%) and lymph node yields (median 18).
• Similar OS (45.3 vs. 49.9 months).
• Initially longer DFS in RRH, but not significant after adjusting for tumor stage. No survival advantage in T4 subgroup.

Conclusions:

• RRH provides oncologic outcomes comparable to ORH in locally advanced colon cancer.
• RRH offers perioperative advantages and is a safe, oncologically sound alternative.
• RRH can expand minimally invasive cancer surgery beyond early-stage disease in high-volume centers.