Abstract: To date, there is limited evidence regarding the long-term oncological outcomes of robotic surgery for rectal cancer. This study aims to compare the surgical quality and long-term tumor prognosis of robotic and conventional laparoscopic surgery for patients with middle-low rectal cancer. The research was conducted across 11 hospitals in eight provinces of China, targeting patients aged 18-80 who underwent either robotic-assisted or laparoscopic surgery for middle-low rectal cancer between 2016 to 2020. By randomly assigning patients to receive either robotic-assisted or laparoscopic surgery, the study compared perioperative outcomes between the two groups, including the rate of positive circumferential resection margins and 30-day postoperative complications.

The data indicated that for middle-low rectal cancer, robotic-assisted surgery provided superior oncological quality in tumor resection compared to traditional laparoscopic surgery, with less trauma in surgery and better postoperative recovery.

Article Link: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253 (22)00248-5/abstract