Intraoperative performance and outcomes of robotic and laparoscopic total gastrectomy for gastric cancer: A high‐volume center retrospective propensity score matching study

BACKGROUND: Studies on robotic total gastrectomy (RTG) are currently limited. This study aimed to compare the intraoperative performance as well as short‐ and long‐term outcomes of RTG and laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG). METHODS: A total of 969 patients underwent robotic (n = 161) or laparoscopic (n = 636) total gastrectomy between October 2014 and October 2021. The two groups of patients were matched 1:3 using the propensity score matching (PSM) method. The intraoperative performance as well as short‐ and long‐term outcomes of the robotic (n = 147) and the laparoscopic (n = 371) groups were compared. RESULTS: After matching, the estimated intraoperative blood loss was lower (80.51 ± 68.77 vs. 89.89 ± 66.12, p = 0.008), and the total number of lymph node dissections was higher (34.74 ± 12.44 vs. 29.83 ± 12.22, p < 0.001) in the RTG group compared with the LTG group. More lymph node dissections at the upper edge of the pancreas were performed in the RTG group than in the LTG (12.59 ± 4.18 vs. 10.33 ± 4.58, p = 0.001). Additionally, postoperative recovery indicators and laboratory data were greater in the RTG group than those in the LTG group, while postoperative complications were comparable between the two groups (19.0% vs. 18.9%, p = 0.962). For overweight or obese patients with body mass indexes (BMIs) ≥25, certain clinical outcomes of the RTG remained advantageous, and no significant differences in three‐year overall survival (OS) or relapse‐free survival (RFS) were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic total gastrectomy demonstrated better intraoperative performance, could improve the short‐term clinical outcomes of patients, and was more conducive to patient recovery. However, the long‐term efficacies of the two approaches were similar. Robotic surgical systems may reduce surgical stress responses in patients, allowing them to receive postoperative chemotherapy sooner.