Comparison of robotic and laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer- Propensity score-matched analysis –

Background: Robotic gastrectomy (RG) has been rapidly adopted for gastric cancer (GC) treatment. However, whether the real benefit of RG over laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) for the experienced laparoscopist remains unclear.
Methods:  451 patients who underwent either RG (n = 83) or LG (n = 368) for GC at our hospital were enrolled in this study. A 1:1 matched propensity score analysis was performed. Case matching factors were age, gender BMI, pT factor, N factor, pStage, Tumor location, Vessel invasion, tumor markers, surgical procedure and LN dissection. The surgical outcomes between the two groups were compared.
Results: A well-balanced cohort of 146 patients was analyzed (RG n=73, LG n=73). The operation times, blood loss and retrieved LNs were 322.97 ± 74.85min for the RG group and 349.71 ± 84.27ml for the LG group (p < 0.001),  37.45 ± 75.19ml and 81.32 ± 122.10ml (p < 0.001), and 34.79 ± 14.97 and 26.74 ± 13.76 (p < 0.001), respectively. The morbidity rate were similar in the RG and LG groups (N.S). The overall and disease free survival were similar (N.S), respectively.
Conclusions: RG can be safely performed and contributed to better short-term outcomes.