Research has highlighted the benefits of robotic-assisted surgery for lung cancer.
The retrospective cohort study reveals significant results in the surgical management of lung cancer, comparing robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) with traditional video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).
The investigation, which analysed patient data from the first 18 months of RATS implementation, suggests that outcomes may differ significantly from those observed with VATS.
Researchers examined patient demographics, surgical details and postoperative outcomes to assess the efficacy of RATS while factoring in associated costs.
Key findings indicate that patients undergoing RATS were predominantly older, with an average age of 70.31 years, compared to 64.64 years in the VATS cohort.
Operative durations were longer for RATS, averaging 190.26 minutes compared to 127.84 minutes for VATS. However, estimated blood loss was significantly lower in the RATS group, at 74 ml compared to 208 ml for VATS.
Additionally, RATS patients experienced shorter hospital stays, averaging 3.88 days compared to 6.22 days for those undergoing VATS.
Importantly, postoperative complications and 30-day mortality rates were similar between RATS (2.1%) and VATS (4.2%) groups, with no significant differences noted in ICU durations or lymph node harvesting.
The study confirms that RATS is safe, technically feasible and yields short-term outcomes comparable to those of conventional VATS techniques.
Surgeons are advised to assess the distinctive benefits of both RATS and VATS on a case-by-case basis, considering individual patient cases, institutional capabilities, and treatment objectives.
This research highlights the shift towards personalised surgical techniques, emphasising the ongoing need to assess cost-effectiveness as these innovative methods become more widely adopted in standard surgical practice.
