Robotic Surgery in Colorectal Cancer

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Research of Cancer".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2829

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Surgery, Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
Interests: colorectal surgery; minimally invasive surgery; robotic surgery; therapeutic endoscopy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Many colorectal cancer patients have benefited from minimally invasive surgery. To a certain extent, the adoption and applicability of conventional laparoscopy have been curtailed by the technical limitations imposed by the equipment. Robotic surgery has been developed to address some of these issues. While early studies on robotic surgery in colorectal cancer focused on its feasibility and safety, more contemporary studies have sought to compare its outcomes with laparoscopy—in particular, its cost effectiveness.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute original research or review articles to this Special Issue, focusing on the use of robotic surgery in colorectal cancer and how recent data have helped us to distinguish it from conventional laparoscopy. Studies addressing the clinical outcomes, ergonomics, and costs are welcomed.

Dr. James Chi Yong Ngu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • robotic surgery
  • colorectal cancer
  • minimally invasive surgery
  • therapeutic endoscopy
  • laparoscopy

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1434 KiB  
Article
Robotic-Assisted Colon Cancer Surgery: Faster Recovery and Less Pain Compared to Laparoscopy in a Retrospective Propensity-Matched Study
by Chun-Yu Lin, Yi-Chun Liu, Chou-Chen Chen, Ming-Cheng Chen, Teng-Yi Chiu, Yi-Lin Huang, Shih-Wei Chiang, Chang-Lin Lin, Ying-Jing Chen, Chen-Yan Lin and Feng-Fan Chiang
Cancers 2025, 17(2), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17020243 - 13 Jan 2025
Viewed by 977
Abstract
Background and Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, with colon cancer accounting for approximately 60% of all CRC cases. Surgery remains the primary and most effective treatment. Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) has emerged as a promising approach for [...] Read more.
Background and Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, with colon cancer accounting for approximately 60% of all CRC cases. Surgery remains the primary and most effective treatment. Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) has emerged as a promising approach for colon cancer resection. This retrospective study compares RAS and laparoscopic-assisted surgery (LSS) for stage I–III colon cancer resections at a single medical center in East Asia. Methods: Between 1 January 2018, and 29 February 2024, patients undergoing colectomy were classified into right-side and left-side colectomies. Propensity score matching was conducted based on age group, gender, ASA score, and BMI to ensure comparability between groups. After matching, there were 50 RAS and 200 LSS cases for right colectomy (RC), and 129 RAS and 258 LSS cases for left colectomy (LC). Perioperative outcomes were compared between the two surgical approaches. The primary outcomes were recovery milestones, while secondary outcomes included complications and postoperative pain scores. Results: RAS demonstrated faster recovery milestones compared to LSS (hospital stay: 6.5 vs. 10.2 days, p = 0.005 for RC; 5.5 vs. 8.2 days, p < 0.001 for LC). RAS also resulted in lower rates of ileus (14% vs. 26%, p = 0.064 for RC; 6.2% vs. 15.9%, p = 0.007 for LC) and higher lymph node yields (31.4 vs. 26.8, p = 0.028 for RC; 25.8 vs. 23.9, p = 0.066 for LC). Major complication rates showed no significant difference between RAS and LSS (4.0% vs. 7.0%, p = 0.746 for RC; 4.7% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.563 for LC). Patients in the RAS group experienced earlier diuretic phases and reported significantly lower postoperative pain scores (3.0 vs. 4.1, p = 0.011 for RC; 2.9 vs. 4.1, p < 0.001 for LC). Conclusions: Robotic-assisted surgery is associated with faster recovery, lower rates of ileus (LC), higher lymph node yield (RC) and reduced postoperative pain compared to laparoscopic-assisted surgery for colon cancer resection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Robotic Surgery in Colorectal Cancer)
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Review

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21 pages, 913 KiB  
Review
Learning Curve for Robotic Colorectal Surgery
by Neng Wei Wong, Nan Zun Teo and James Chi-Yong Ngu
Cancers 2024, 16(19), 3420; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16193420 - 8 Oct 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1443
Abstract
With the increasing adoption of robotic surgery in clinical practice, institutions intending to adopt this technology should understand the learning curve in order to develop strategies to help its surgeons and operating theater teams overcome it in a safe manner without compromising on [...] Read more.
With the increasing adoption of robotic surgery in clinical practice, institutions intending to adopt this technology should understand the learning curve in order to develop strategies to help its surgeons and operating theater teams overcome it in a safe manner without compromising on patient care. Various statistical methods exist for the analysis of learning curves, of which a cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis is more commonly described in the literature. Variables used for analysis can be classified into measures of the surgical process (e.g., operative time and pathological quality) and measures of patient outcome (e.g., postoperative complications). Heterogeneity exists in how performance thresholds are defined during the interpretation of learning curves. Factors that influence the learning curve include prior surgical experience in colorectal surgery, being in a mature robotic surgical unit, case mix and case complexity, robotic surgical simulation, spending time as a bedside first assistant, and being in a structured training program with proctorship. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Robotic Surgery in Colorectal Cancer)
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