Abstract Background We have introduced robotic-assisted thoracoscopic esophagectomy (RAMIE) for esophageal cancer in August 2019 and have reported on its short-term results. However, there is still no clear consensus on the long-term results of RAMIE. Therefore, we examined the mid-term results of the RAMIE performed at our institute. Methods Total of 96 RAMIE patients who underwent esophagectomy with 2 or 3 field lymph node dissection for esophageal cancer between August 2019–March 2024 were included. Clinicopathological factors, surgical outcomes, postoperative complications, and mid-term results were evaluated. The tumor staging was defined according to the UICC 8th edition. The median follow-up was 31.5 months. Results Of the 96 RAMIE patients, TNM classification was as follows; cStageI/32/II: 27/III: 24/IV: 13. Preoperative treatment was performed in 54 cases, and 7 of which were salvage or conversion cases. Median thoracic operation time was 263 minutes, total blood loss was 211 mL, and blood loss in the thoracic operation was 18 mL. Postoperative overall complications (Grade I, CD) were 61.4%; respiratory complications were 20.8%, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was 10.4%, and postoperative hospital stay was 21 days. The 5-year OS rate was 76.3% and a 4-year DFS was 59.9%. Conclusion RAMIE could be safely extended to advanced cancer, salvage surgery, and conversion surgery. Although the observation period was not long enough, a relatively promising OS was obtained.
Koyanagi et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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