title: Transoral robotic surgery for head and neck carcinomas.
abstract: The objective of this study was prospectively to assess the feasibility and safety of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in head and neck carcinomas and to report our learning curve and 2-year outcomes. Patients with oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal and laryngeal tumors treated with TORS were prospectively included. We evaluated: the feasibility of TORS, robotic set-up time, transoral robotic surgery time, blood loss, surgical margins, tracheotomy, feeding tube, time to oral feeding and surgery-related complications. Twenty-three patients were treated for 25 carcinomas. Twenty-two patients underwent successful robotic resection for 24 carcinomas (96%). One patient required conversion to open surgery due to massive bleeding. The mean robotic set-up time was 25 min (range: 15-100 min) and mean TORS operating time was 70 min (range: 20-150 min). Positive margin of resection was observed in one patient (classified pT3) out of the 24 cancers and was managed by postoperative chemoradiation. No tracheotomy was performed. Three patients required prolonged intubation for a mean of 22 h. Two patients required a temporary gastrostomy (for 2 and 3.5 months, respectively). All other patients resumed oral feeding between the first and third postoperative day. The mean hospital stay was 6.4 days (range: 4-19 days). No postoperative complication occurred. Mean follow-up was 20 months (median: 19, range: 14-26). No death and no case of local or metastatic failure were observed. TORS is feasible and safe for the resection of selected head and neck carcinomas. The occurrence of intraoperative bleeding emphasizes the need for surgeons to be skilled in both transoral and open approaches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, 20 rue Leblanc, 75015 Paris, France. stephane.hans@egp.aphp.fr
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hans
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Badoual
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gorphe
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brasnu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D057605:Natural Orifice Endoscopic Surgery / Q000379:methods; D013517:Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods*; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; D016896:Treatment Outcome