Robotic technology for colorectal surgery : Procedures, current applications, and future innovative challenges.
BACKGROUND
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. Current treatment approaches are multidisciplinary, including neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer. Several studies have reported an improvement in surgical techniques and in new devices facilitating better pre- and intraoperative staging.


OBJECTIVES
Since its first application in 2002, robotic surgery has progressed steadily, offering good surgical results and better oncological outcomes. Currently, many studies and reviews have confirmed its safety and feasibility for colorectal cancer.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
Robotic technology simplifies surgical maneuvers thanks to the three-dimensional magnification and stable vision, convenient mobility of the robotic arms, endowrist instruments with seven degrees of freedom, ambidextrous capability, tremor filtering, and indocyanine green fluorescence imaging.


RESULTS
Regarding the oncological outcome, the robotic technique is equivalent to the laparoscopic approach; however, a lower recurrence rate has been achieved with the robotic approach in extended lymphadenectomy as part of complete mesocolic excision for right colonic cancer and total mesorectal excision for low rectal tumors.


CONCLUSION
Colorectal robotic surgery has progressively improved worldwide. Its advantages are related not only to better oncological outcomes, but also to improvements in terms of detection, accurate diagnosis, and staging.
['Spinoglio|G|G|', 'Bellora|P|P|', 'Monni|M|M|']
D059186:Chemoradiotherapy, Adjuvant D003082:Colectomy D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms D003131:Combined Modality Therapy D004867:Equipment Design D006801:Humans D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication D000070516:Intersectoral Collaboration D059032:Learning Curve D008197:Lymph Node Excision D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local D009367:Neoplasm Staging D010348:Patient Care Team D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures
Rectal cancer Fluorescence Lymphadenectomy Colectomy Robotic surgical procedures