Midterm Results for Robotic Thymectomy for Malignant Disease

Background. There are limited reports on robotic thymectomy for malignant disease. Our objectives are to review our experience and midterm outcomes. Methods. We reviewed a single-surgeon prospective database for patients who underwent planned robotic resection for malignancy from January 2010 to June 2019. Results. Two hundred thirteen patients underwent resection of an anterior mediastinal mass, all of which were planned for a robotic approach. Of these, 84 (39%) underwent robotic thymectomy for malignant disease. Thymoma was the most common pathology resected (68%). Median tumor size was 4.7 cm (interquartile range, 2.9-6.3), and median operative time was 81.5 minutes (interquartile range, 64-104). All except 1 patient had a complete (R0) resection (98.8%). There were 2 (2.3%) unplanned but elective conversions to open surgery, 1 of which required cardiopulmonary bypass. Median length of stay was 1 day (range, 0-9) with 1 readmission (1.2%). Major morbidity occurred in 3 patients (3.5%), and there were no 30-or 90-day mortalities. In patients with thymoma, follow-up was complete at a median of 32 months (range, 1-98), and 1 patient (1.8%) had an ipsilateral chest recurrence. To date there have been no patient deaths. Conclusions. Robotic thymectomy for patients with malignant disease is safe with excellent perioperative outcomes. A robotic approach achieves a high rate of complete R0 resection, even for larger tumors. For patients with thymoma local recurrence is low after midterm follow-up, but longer-term analysis is needed to determine oncologic durability. (C) 2021 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Automated summary

This study reviewed the experience and midterm outcomes of robotic thymectomy for malignant disease in 213 patients. The overall complication rate was low (3.5%), with no 30- or 90-day mortalities. Among 33 patients with thymoma, only 1 had a recurrence during follow-up.