2021 Volume 91 Issue 1 Pages 109-113
Robot-assisted surgery for upper gastrointestinal malignancies has been covered by insurance since 2018 and the number of operations has risen rapidly since then. Unlike gastrectomy, reports on robot-assisted esophageal malignant tumor surgeries are scarce; however, it is expected that local complications will be reduced by these robot-assisted surgeries compared to that seen with conventional thoracoscopic surgery. Compared to conventional laparoscopic surgery, robot-assisted gastrectomy requires longer surgery time and higher medical costs; however, the learning curve is shorter and the incidence of postoperative complications, mainly local complications are reduced. Long-term outcomes need to be estimated.
