Similar Quality of Life After Conventional and Robotic Transhiatal Esophagectomy

BACKGROUND Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) have demonstrated benefits compared with open transthoracic or 3-hole esophagectomy. PROs, including quality of life (QoL) and fear of recurrence (FoR), comparing open transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) and transhiatal robotic-assisted MIE (Th-RAMIE) have been limited. METHODS At a single, high-volume academic center, patients undergoing THE and Th-RAMIE with gastric conduit for clinical stage Ito III esophageal cancer from 2013 to 2018 were evaluated. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30), the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire in Esophageal Cancer (QLQ-OES18), and the FoR survey were administered preoperatively and at 1, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Linear mixed-effects models were used for QoL and FoR score comparisons. Perioperative outcomes were also compared. RESULTS A total of 309 patients (212 in the group and 97 in the Th-RAMIE group) were included. The Th-RAMIE cohort had a significantly higher number of lymph nodes harvested (14 +/- 0.8 vs 11.2 +/- 0.4; P = .01), a shorter length of stay (days, 10.0 +/- 6.7 vs 12.1 +/- 7.0; P = .03), lower rates of postoperative ileus (5% vs 15%; P = .02), and fewer opioids prescribed at discharge (71 % vs 85%; P = .03). After adjustment, there were no significant differences in QLQ-C30, QLQ-OES18, and FoR scores between the groups out to 1 year postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS There were no clear patient-reported benefits of Th-RAMIE over THE for esophageal cancer. However, Th-RAMIE conferred several perioperative benefits. (C) 2022 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Automated summary

The study found that there were no clear patient-reported benefits of transhiatal robotic-assisted MIE (Th-RAMIE) over open transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) for esophageal cancer patients, although Th-RAMIE conferred some perioperative benefits.