Applications and prospects of robotic surgery in esophageal cancer

摘要

Esophageal cancer(EC)is among the most common malignances and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide.Surgery plays a significant role in the multidisciplinary treatment for esophageal cancer.Recent advances in minimally invasive esophagectomy(MIE),including conventional thoracoscopic surgery and more recent robotic surgery,has been shown to improve short-term outcomes compared to open surgery.Robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy(RAMIE)was first performed in 2003 and has been increasingly utilized in tertiary medical centers.Compared to conventional video-assisted minimally esophagectomy(VAMIE),RAMIE provides certain advantages such as increased magnification,three-dimensional visual clarity and better lymphadenectomy,with superior short-term outcome and at least equivalent oncological results.This review focuses on the techniques,benefits and obstacles in applications of robotic esophagectomy for treating EC,meanwhile discussing the future of robotic esophageal surgery.