Robotic gastrectomy for gastric cancer: systematic review and future directions

Background: Robotic gastrectomy (RG) using the da Vinci Surgical System for gastric cancer was approved for national medical insurance coverage in Japan in April 2018, and its number has been rapidly increasing since then.

Aim: We reviewed and compared current evidence on RG and conventional laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) to identify the differences in surgical outcomes.

Methods: Three independent reviewers systematically reviewed the data collected from a comprehensive literature search by an independent organization, focusing on the following nine endpoints: mortality, morbidity, operative time, estimated blood loss volume, length of postoperative hospital stay, long-term oncologic outcome, quality of life, learning curve, and cost.

Results: Compared to LG, RG has lower intraoperative blood loss volume, shorter length of hospital stay, and shorter learning curve, but both procedures have similar mortality. Contrarily, its disadvantages include longer procedural time and higher costs. Although the morbidity rate and long-term outcomes are almost comparable, RG showed superior potentials. Currently, the outcomes of RG are considered comparable to or better than LG.

Conclusion: RG might be applicable to all gastric cancer patients who fulfill the indication of LG at institutions that meet specific criteria and are approved to claim the National Health Insurance costs for the use of the surgical robot in Japan.