[Robot-assisted surgery for thyroid cancer]

Endoscopic thyroid cancer surgery was introduced in 1997 in response to patient demand - particularly in Asian countries - for surgical approaches that avoid a visible scar in the anterior neck. The subsequent development of robotic technology expanded the range of feasible approaches. Current techniques include those requiring insufflation (axillo-breast and transoral approaches) and those performed without insufflation (axillary and retroauricular techniques). In France, non-insufflated axillary and retroauricular techniques have become predominant. These approaches constitute remote-access surgery rather than minimally invasive surgery. Their only advantage is to place the scar elsewhere than in the anterior neck. Surgical risks, postoperative outcomes, and oncologic results in appropriately selected patients are comparable to those of conventional open thyroidectomy. Patient selection is critical, with indications primarily limited to low-risk and selected low-intermediate - risk patients to ensure oncologic safety. Continued miniaturization of robotic systems and advancements in intraoperative technologies - particularly tools for real-time identification of key anatomical structures such as the recurrent laryngeal nerves and parathyroid glands - will drive further innovation in remote-access thyroid cancer surgery and may broaden its applicability for selected patients.