Role of robotic surgery in endometrial cancer.
Uterine cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in women in the United States with an estimated number of 40,100 women diagnosed in 2008, the great majority of which belongs to endometrial classification. The traditional approach to treatment of endometrial cancer has been primarily surgery via an open, laparotomy incision. Minimally invasive approaches with smaller incisions, i.e., laparoscopy for the management of endometrial cancer was initially reported in 1992; however, its adoption has been slow due to the prolonged learning curve needed to become proficient in such a technique. Robotic-assisted surgery, a further advancement of traditional laparoscopy, using computer-based controls has been developed enabling the performance of complex procedures that otherwise had been too difficult to accomplish in a minimally invasive fashion. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is one such example that has gained rapid acceptance in recent years. Although the use of robotic-assisted laparoscopy for endometrial cancer is still in its early phase, this approach is anticipated to become similarly, a common approach to the management of endometrial cancer in the future.
Lin
Paul S
PS
Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Surgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA. plin@coh.org
Wakabayashi
Mark T
MT
Han
Ernest S
ES
D015331:Cohort Studies; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D007813:Laparotomy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D010052:Ovariectomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome