The role of minimally invasive radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer: ESGE-SERGS position document and joint-statement *

Over the last two decades, minimal access techniques have gained widespread acceptance as an approach to radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer. Two recent studies, the randomised study by Ramirez et al. (2018) and the epidemiologic study by Melamed et al. (2018) found that minimally invasive surgery radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer was associated with shorter overall survival than open surgery. In this document we assess the importance of these two new studies and what their additional contribution is towards existing studies into the surgical approach to cervical cancer. Furthermore, we provide a consensus statement of the European Society Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE) and the Society of European Robotic Gynaecological Surgery (SERGS) as to the position of minimal access techniques (both standard and robotic) in light of this new evidence.